OF 


•71 


An  Ideal  Republic 


OR 


WAY  OUT  OF  THE  FOG 


BY 


CORWIN  PHELPS. 


CHICAGO,  ILL. 

W.  L.  RAYNOLDS,  Publisher,  267  South  Lincoln  Street 

1896. 

LIBRARY 
tlKTVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


Copyright  1895 

BY 

COBWIN  PHELPS. 
All  rights  reserved. 


PREFACE. 

In  no  period  of  our  history  have  the  signs  of  the 
times  been  more  ominous  or  portentous  of  evil  than 
at  the  present.  The  wonderful  strides  made  by  organ 
ized  capital  in  the  last  quarter  of  a  century,  and  the 
consequent  impoverishment  of  the  masses  with  its  evil 
effects  upon  industry  and  society,  the  gradual  encroach 
ments  of  concentrated  wealth  upon  the  rights  of  man 
to  live,  support  his  family  and  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his 
toil,  have  been  so  marked  as  to  create  universal  appre 
hension  and  alarm.  It  is  in  consequence  of  this  unrest 
that  the  author  has  been  induced  to  make  an  effort  to 
present  a  pen  picture  in  an  allegorical  sketch  of  the 
causes  leading  up  to  our  present  financial  distress  and 
at  the  same  time  offer  a  simple  common  sense  solution 
of  the  problems  that  now  confront  the  American  peo 
ple,  threatening  the  very  existence  and  perpetuity  of 
our  civilization. 

In  resorting  to  romance  to  illustrate  facts  the  v/riter 
has  only  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  many  prominent 
authors,  and  it  will  be  remembered  that  even  the  wise 
and  religious  teachings  of  the  lowly  Nazarene  were 
principally  allegorical. 

It  has  been  said  that  "God  worketh  all  things  accord 
ing  to  His  own  good  pleasure, "  and  it  would  now  seem 


to  an  observing  mind  that  evolution  is  the  principle 
through  which  He  worketh  to  the  end  that  all  may 
steadily  progress  both  intellectually  and  spiritually 
toward  better  conditions. 

In  the  last  half  century  so  wonderful  has  been  the 
progress  in  the  invention  of  labor-saving  machinery 
that  our  whole  social  system  has  undergone  an  entire 
change.  One  man  under  present  industrial  systems  can 
produce  more  of  the  comforts  of  life  than  could  ten  men 
half  a  century  ago.  And  yet  we  are  met  by  the  stupen 
dous  fact  that  those  who  produce  these  things  do  not 
enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  labor. 

During  this  marvelous  period  of  advancement  in 
manufacture  and  production  the  science  of  government 
has  not  advanced;  hence  the  whole  human  economy  is 
thrown  out  of  balance,  and  until  the  science  of  govern 
ment  is  so  improved  as  to  bring  about  an  equilibrium 
we  may  look  for  financial  storms,  commercial  disaster 
and  great  suffering.  But  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  when 
the  great  corporations  and  money  combinations  go  to 
pieces  by  their  own  weight,  and  through  unlimited 
greed  have  forced  starvation  upon  the  masses,  then 
men  will  begin  to  think,  the  light  of  reason  will  be 
turned  upon  government,  its  abuses  exposed,  new 
methods  and  laws  adopted,  and  man  will  step  out  upon 
a  higher  plane  of  civilization. 

Haying  served  as  a  common  soldier  in  our  civil  war, 
and  shared  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  tlie  great  common 
people  of  our  great  Republic  since  that  time,  the  writer 
feels  that  his  experiences  have  been  such  as  would 
enable  him  to  give  in  story  a  better  outline  of  the  evo 
lution  of  thought  on  religion,  politics  and  kindred 
subjects;  a  better  history  of  progressive  events;  a  truer 
and  more  perfect  view  of  every-day  life  as  it  has 


occurred  from  day  to  day  through  the  most  wonderful 
epoch  known  to  the  history  of  our  race  than  usually 
falls  to  the  lot  of  any  man;  and  that  through  long  and 
deep  meditation,  he  has  been  able  to  pierce  the  great 
mystery  that  enshrouds  our  land,  has  been  able  to  give 
the  simplest  and  most  logical  way  out  of  our  present 
distress  and  place  ourselves  upon  that  higher  plane  of 
civilization  for  which  mankind  so  fondly  yearns. 
Call  it  history,  forecast,  romance,  a  fiction  of  higher 
life,  in  fact  call  it  what  you  will,  the  author  sends  out 
this  book  feeling  doubly  sure  it  will  find  a  warm  place 
in  every  true  American  heart  and  will  be  cherished  by 
all  who  love  their  fellow-man  and  look  forward  with 
hope  toward  our  country's  future  greatness.  Respect 
fully  dedicated  to  every  Hying  soul  who  loves  mankind. 

CORWIN  PHELPS. 


X3DE-A.L 

OB 

WAY  OUT  OF  THE  FOG. 


CHAPTER  I. 

GENERAL  BUNDY  had  obtained  a  world-wide 
reputation  for  patriotism  and  bravery  through 
his  valuable  services  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  was  a  man 
of  broad  views  and  much  more  than  ordinary  ability. 
He  had  descended  from  a  family  of  Revolutionary 
Patriots  and  had  taken  advantage  of  every  facility 
which  the  country  afforded  for  obtaining  a  knowledge 
of  the  arts  and  sciences;  he  had  also  given  attention 
to  the  study  of  government  and  political  economy. 
He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  owned  one  of  the 
most  picturesque  and  fertile  tracts  of  land  in  Gurney 
county,  in  the  state  of  Massachusetts.  He  had  mar 
ried  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  most  prominent  farmers 
of  the  county  and,  of  course,  named  his  oldest  son, 
George  Washington. 

As  it  is  not  the  intention  of  the  writer  to  give  the 
history  of  Gen.  Bundy,  further  than  is  necessary  to 
properly  introduce  to  the  reader,  his  son,  George,  who 
will  figure  to  some  extent  in  our  story,  I  will  proceed 
to  state,  that  in  1840,  having  by  industry  and  economy 
accumulated  a  little  surplus  cash,  he  determined  to 
make  a  visit  to  distant  relatives  in  England  and  it  was 
arranged  that  George  should  accompany  him. 

While  in  England,  a  circumstance  occurred  which 
will  illustrate,  to  some  extent,  how  deeply  had  been 
implanted  in  this  young  American,  our  peculiar  views 
of  humanity  and  government. 

Upon  the  occasion  mentioned,  the  father  and  son 
had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  Queen  and  her  retinue 


6  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

pass  along  one  of  those  grand  drives  of  which  London 
loves  to  boast. 

What  most  attracted  the  attention  of  the  young 
American,  were  the  footmen  accompanying  the  Queen's 
carriage  team. 

"Why,"  said  he  to  his  father,  "why  have  all  these 
footmen  that  I  see  dressed  in  livery,  along  with  the 
team?" 

"This,"  said  his  father,  "is  only  a  custom  of  Roy 
alty,  handed  down  from  the  past  and  the  object,  no 
doubt,  is  a  display  of  power;  it  represents  a  condition 
of  things  growing  out  of  barbarism. " 

"A  government,"  said  George,  "that  has  to  maintain 
its  authority  by  a  display  like  that,  is  certainly  a  gov 
ernment  founded  on  something  beside  justice;  it  looks 
as  if  they  were  trying  to  exalt  the  Queen  to  a  place 
which  none  but  God  should  occupy,  and  to  place  the 
others  on  a  level  with  the  horses  in  the  team;  it  looks 
like  degrading  one  part  of  the  human  family,  to  make 
a  show  of  the  other  part." 

"True,"  said  his  father,  -"it  looks  that  way  to  us, 
who  are  taught  that  the  right  to  govern  is  derived  from 
the  consent  of  the  governed.  In  this  country,  the 
people  are  divided  into  three  classes,  first,  the  Royal 
family,  who  hold  the  reins  of  government.  Second, 
the  Nobility,  who  are  allowed  titles  and  own  a  large 
portion  of  the  land  and  other  property.  The  people 
once  owned  the  land  but  were  robbed  of  it  by  William, 
the  Conquerer,  and  he  gave  it  out  in  such  manner  as 
would  best  enable  him  to  form  and  maintain  a  dynasty 
sufficiently  powerful  to  hold  the  people  in  subjection 
to  his  will.  From  that  time  on,  the  property  has  been 
kept  in  these  particular  families  by  inheritance  laws. 
These  families  are  called  the  Nobility,  and  their  prin 
cipal  occupation  is  collecting  rent  from  the  common 
people. " 

"Do  these  nobles  go  as  footmen  with  the  Queen's 
carnage  team?" 

"No,  they  are  next  to  the  Royal  family." 

"Then  I  am  glad  some  of  the    English   people  are 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  7 

considered  higher,  better  and  nobler  than  animals,  but 
am  sorry  that  it  is  on  account  of  their  owning  land." 

"The  bulk  of  the  people  form  the  next  class.  They 
are  the  workers  and  are  brought  in  direct  competition 
one  with  another.  The  weaker  go  to  the  wall  and  are 
often  reduced  to  want,  while  the  stronger,  more  un 
scrupulous  and  dishonest  become  bankers,  and  are  fast 
building  up  a  power  that  is  greater  and  stronger  than 
the  monarchy  itself,  and  is  slowly  but  surely,  octopus 
like,  extending  its  tentacles  to  all  parts  of  the  earth, 
and  it  is  greatly  to  be  feared  that  what  Britain  lost  by 
the  sword  in  our  country,  will  be  finally  recovered  by 
the  money  power,  through  a  well  systematized  plan  of 
usury,  gold  speculation  and  legislative  bribery. " 

It  has  been  said  that  "eternal  vigilance  is  the  price 
of  liberty."  Nothing  is  truer,  and  it  is  well  worth 
remembering. 

After  returning  to  the  United  States,  Gen.  Bundy 
gave  his  son  the  benefit  of  a  good  common  school 
education,  and  on  coming  of  age,  he  married  Miss 
Crabtree,  the  daughter  of  a  well-to-do  farmer  in  the 
neighborhood.  The  union  proved  a  happy  one,  and 
the  year  1861  found  George  Washington  Bundy  on  a 
farm  of  his  own,  six  miles  from  the  town  of  Bopeep, 

His  wife  was  a  lady  of  more  than  ordinary  intelli 
gence,  and  one  who  had  many  friends.  At  this  time 
they  had  three  children — Frank,  and  two  younger 
daughters. 

At  the  first  tap  of  the  drum  which  called  the  Ameri 
can  people  "to  arms,"  Mr.  Bundy,  after  giving  all 
needed  instructions  as  to  the  management  of  his  farm, 
went  to  town  and  enlisted.  When  the  company  was 
organized,  he  was  elected  Captain,  and  soon  received 
his  Commission.  Army  drilling  soon  commenced  and 
the  Regiment  to  which  Captain  Bundy  was  assigned 
was  one  of  the  first  sent  to  the  front. 

Three  times  during  the  first  year  he  received  pro 
motion  for  bravery,  and  in  the  fall  of  1862  he  lost  his 
left  arm.  After  this  he  returned  to  the  field,  as  Colo 
nel,  in  command  of  one  of  the  best  Regiments  which 
Massachusetts  furnished  during  the  war. 


5  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

During  Col.  Bundy' s  absence,  the  management  of 
the  farm  fell  upon  Mrs.  Bundy.  Corn  and  potatoes 
had  been  partially  cultivated,  but  a  large  hay  crop  was 
on  hand.  So  many  men  had  gone  to  the  front  that  it 
was  next  to  impossible  to  get  help,  and  Mrs.  Bundy 
was  at  her  wits  end.  "Necessity  is  the  mother  of  in 
vention,"  and  Mrs.  Bundy  was  not  long  in  getting 
things  in  motion.  The  mowing  machine  was  brought 
from  the  shed,  where  Mr.  Bundy  had  so  carefully 
placed  it  the  year  before.  With  Frank's  limited 
knowledge  and  his  mother's  superior  judgment,  the 
machine  was  soon  ready  for  the  field.  It  was  an  easy 
matter  to  cut  five  or  six  acres  a  day,  but  this  was  not 
all — the  grass  had  to  be  stirred,  raked  into  winrows 
and  then  put  into  cocks,  to  guard  against  possible 
showers. 

Jane,  the  eldest  daughter,  was  now  thirteen  years 
old.  Her  father  had  often  allowed  her  to  drive,  so  she 
soon  learned  to  run  the  mowing  machine,  while  Frank 
and  his  mother  attended  to  the  hay.  After  cutting  for 
a  day  or  two,  they  would  haul  the  hay  in,  and  by  the 
time  the  work  was  finished,  Frank,  feeling  the  respon 
sibility,  had  learned  to  assume  the  management,  thereby 
materially  aiding  his  mother. 

This  was  a  time  of  bustle  and  confusion — troops 
were  being  mustered,  drilled,  armed  and  equiped  for 
the  war.  Regiments  were  being  moved  to  the  front, 
brigades  and  armies  being  formed,  and  soon  the  clash 
of  arms  was  heard,  and  then  came  the  news  of  the 
killed,  the  dying,  the  wounded  and  the  missing.  Peo 
ple  gathered  in  little  squads  at  the  bulletin  boards, 
coming  from  all  parts  of  the  country  to  learn  the  fate 
of  their  loved  ones.  Noble  hearted  women  started  for 
the  scene  of  action  to  care  for  the  sick  and  wounded 
and  soothe  the  dying. 

Prayer  meetings  were  frequent  in  the  town  and  all 
over  the  country,  where  all  would  meet  and  seek  con 
solation  in  prayer.  Every  mail  brought  tidings  of 
battles  lost  and  battles  won,  long  lists  of  killed  and 
wounded;  and  how  earnestly  these  lists  were  scanned, 
.to  see  if  a  father,  son,  brother,  husband  or  lover  had 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  9 

been  killed.  Oh,  such  anxiety  and  expectation.  Hope, 
fear  and  despair  all  came  at  once,  to  stir  the  depths 
of  human  feelings.  The  aged,  the  sick,  women  and 
children  all  hoped  and  some  hoped  against  fate. 

Thus  time  spiled  on  at  Washington.  The  govern 
ment  was  encompassed  by  enemies.  Gold  and  silver 
had  disappeard  into  the  vaults  of  Wall  Street.  At  the 
first  tap  of  the  drum  bankers  demanded  of  the  gov 
ernment  exorbitant  interest,  and  the  immortal  Lincoln 
found  himself  confronted  by  a  more  formidable  foe  in 
Wall  and  Lombard  Streets  than  even  in  the  South. 
But  in  this  sad  dilemma,  there  was  still  a  way.  Aban 
don  the  use  of  gold  and  silver  and  coin  money  from 
paper  only. 

In  its  distress  the  Government  did  not  stop  to  argue 
questions  of  finance  with  bankers,  but  simplv  took 
advantage  of  its  own  right  to  make  its  own  money,  of 
whatever  substance  was  cheapest  and  best  and  most 
convenient  for  use.  Had  our  law  makers  shown  as 
bold  a  front  to  the  bankers  as  they  did  to  the  Confed 
erates,  gold  would  have  lost  its  power  and  been  valu 
able  only  as  bullion  and  in  trade  with  foreign  coun 
tries,  and  even  then  only  when  balance  of  trade  was 
against  us. 

But  bankers,  who,  by  sharp  schemes,  had  succeeded 
in  getting  possession  of  all  the  gold,  were  too  sharp 
to  allow  a  policy  like  this  to  go  into  effect.  To  avert 
it  they  came  together  and  lobbied  a  bill  through  Con 
gress  for  an  issue  of  bonds,  with  interest  payable  in 
coin.  It  appears  strange  that  the  paper  money  would 
buy  corn,  wheat,  arms,  ammunition,  pay  troops  and 
labor,  do,  in  fact,  all  the  business  of  the  country,  but 
was  not  good  enough  to  pay  interest  on  bonds  that 
had  been  purchased  with  greenbacks. 

By  this  act  of  injustice  the  bondholders  were  made 
a  special  class,  and  the  only  class  in  the  United  States 
who  could  demand  gold  as  money  for  any  purpose, 
whatever;  and  the  act  was  not  passed  by  party  vote. 
Just  how  it  got  through  Congress,  is  not  clear,  but  it 
was  passed  under  the  protest  of  our  wisest  statesmen; 
and  in  order  to  carry  out  its  provisions,  it  became 


JO  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

necessary  for  Government  to  actually  repudiate  its  own 
money  by  refusing  to  take  it  for  duty  on  imports. 
But  notwithstanding  this  unfortunate,  not  to  say  dis 
honest  legislation,  the  greenback  went  forth  among  the 
people,  saved  the  country,  and  did  its  work  nobly. 
It  took  the  place  of  gold  and  the  war  moved  on  with 
unabated  fury.  Ships  of  war  were  being  constructed, 
and  fortifications  being  built;  armies  were  moving  to 
the  front  and  more  troops  being  called  for.  While 
this  constant  drain  of  the  working  people  was  going 
on,  old  men,  women  and  children  came  nobly  to  the 
rescue.  Farm  machines,  with  good  horses,  came  into 
play;  girls  ran  the  mowing  machines,  ran  plows  and 
cultivators,  and  farming  went  on  with  very  little  inter 
ruption. 

During  these  long  years  of  war  Col.  Bundy  improved 
every  opportunity  to  write  home,  and  his  pay  was 
always  placed  in  the  keeping  of  his  wife,  and  when 
the  last  man  had  surrendered,  he  returned  to  the  family 
from  whom  he  had  been  so  long  separated  and  who 
welcomed  him  with  fond  embraces. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  writer  will  now  introduce  Mr.  Goldburg,  who 
had  moved  to  Bopeep  three  years  previous 
to  the  beginning  of  the  late  war.  Mr.  Goldburg, 
though  an  English  Jew,  was  very  much  American  in 
appearance  and  style,  but  had  all  the  cunning  and 
greed  of  a  Jew.  He  had  just  come  from  California, 
where  he  had  given  a  man  a  small  "grub  stake"  of  ten 
dollars,  and  in  that  way  had  become  interested  in  a 
mine  which  the  man  discovered  and  worked;  then  sold 
out  for  forty  thousand  dollars,  making  twenty  thousand 
dollars  each.  Having  settled  in  Bopeep,  the  first  thing 
was  to  look  around  for  a  good  investment  Property 
was  low,  and  business  dull,  owing  to  a  scarcity  of 
money.  As  the  city  was  surrounded  by  a  fertile  coun 
try,  the  Jew  could  see  no  loss  of  money  and  invested 
in  property  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  at  the  beg 
garly  prices  existing,  and  it  was  not  long  in  getting 
noised  abroad  that  Mr.  Goldburg  had  a  little  money 
he  could  be  induced  to  put  into  land  at  a  very  low 
figure.  He  would  also  loan  money  on  good  real  estate 
security.  Mr.  Goldburg  soon  succeeded,  by  foreclos 
ure  of  mortgage  and  direct  purchase  in  converting  his 
twenty  thousand  dollars  into  land  and  town  property, 
at  bedrock  prices. 

When  greenbacks  went  into  circulation,  money  be 
came  plenty.  Every  one  had  money.  Everything 
brought  a  good  price,  and  every  one  who  had  no  land 
wanted  to  buy.  As  a  consequence,  land  jumped  at  a 
single  bound  to  twice  its  former  value.  He  now  began 
selling  his  land  as  fast  as  possible,  and  money  being 
plentiful  and  every  branch  of  industry  quickened,  he 
was  not  long  in  turning  his  land  into  greenbacks  at 
twice  their  former  value  and  even  more.  On  settling 


12  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC, 

up  he  found  that  in  three  years'  double-deal,  he  had 
increased  his  capital  to  fifty  thousand  dollars  above  all 
living  expenses. 

Having  this  snug  sum  on  hand,  the  Jew  decided  to 
invest  in  government  bonds  and  retire  from  business, 
living  on  the  interest.  Acting  on  this  plan  he  soon 
had  his  bonds  snugly  laid  away  in  his  safe  "Now," 
said  he  to  his  wife,  "we  will  have  nothing  to  do  but 
draw  the  interest  in  gold  on  these  bonds  and  live  at 
ease;  the  interest  will  amount  to  over  three  thousand 
dollars  in  gold  and  that  will  buy  four  thousand  or  five 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  greenbacks.  Gold  is  bound 
to  go  at  a  premium,  for  people  must  have  it  to  pay 
duty  on  imports.  This  arrangement  is  one  of  the 
greatest  things  for  the  banks  that  could  be  conceived; 
in  the  first  place,  people  will  have  to  sell  their  green 
backs  to  the  banks  at  the  banker's  price  to  get  gold 
to  pay  their  duty  on  imports;  then  the  banks  will  take 
the  greenbacks  to  buy  more  bonds  and  the  government 
will  pay  the  gold  back  to  the  bankers  again  as  interest 
on  the  bonds.  So  you  see  the  banks  will  be  giving 
the  gold  out  all  the  time  for  greenbacks,  and  getting 
it  back  for  interest,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year,  the 
banks  will  have  the  identical  gold  that  they  com 
menced  with,  and  still  will  have  bought  greenbacks  at 
a  big  discount,  over  and  over  again,  and  as  fast  as  the 
greenbacks  accumulate,  they  can  put  them  into  gov 
ernment  bonds  and  draw  more  gold  interest. 

"Talk  about  the  dead-open-and-shut  string  game,  gold- 
brick  or  three-card  monte  that  we  had  in  the  mines, 
where  there  was  no  law;  they  fade  into  insignificance 
in  comparison  with  this  game  that  has  become  law  at 
the  nation's  capital.  And  there  is  no  doubt  that  these 
bankers  will  see  to  it  that  gold  brings  a  good  price, 
so  I  think  we  can  safely  count  on  our  interest  amount' 
ing  to  six  or  seven  thousand  a  year  in  greenbacks. 
It  is  possible  the  people  will  send  different  representa 
tives  to  the  next  Congress,  and  this  kind  of  work  be 
knocked  in  the  head,  but  even  so,  we  shall  get  $3,000 
a  year.  We  can  live  well  on  $1,000  here  at  home  and 
can  spend  the  remainder  in  luxury.  In  this  easy  way 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  1 3 

of  living,  we  will  be  looked  up  to,  more  than  is  even 
the  nobility  of  the  old  world  monarchies. 

"I  never  until  of  late  began  to  comprehend  the  vast 
power  there  is  in  money.  It  seems  strange  how  a 
nation  of  intelligent  people  will  allow  the  money  and 
wealth  to  concentrate  in  { the  hands  of  individuals 
without  limit.  I  would  as  soon  think  of  building  and 
running,  a  steam  boiler  without  a  safety  valve,  or 
build  a  reservoir  without  a  flood  gate,  as  to  think  of 
allowing  money  to  accumulate  in  the  hands  of  indi 
viduals  without  limit." 

For  several  weeks  time  passed  pleasantly  at  the 
Goldburg  home;  he  had  hired  a  man  to  go  in  his 
place  to  the  war,  and  while  others  were  facing  all 
kinds  of  danger,  disappointment  and  even  death,  Mr. 
Goldburg  sat  back  in  his  easy  chair  and  amused  him 
self  by  reading  accounts  of  other  people's  troubles. 
But  this  kind  of  an  easy  way  of  getting  along  was 
plainly  too  much  for  Mr.  Goldburg;  he  soon  began  to 
feel  the  want  of  that  excitement  that  invariably  accom 
panies  money  getting,  or  as  it  might  be  more  properly 
termed,  gold  gambling. 

He  often  told  his  wife  of  this  restless  feeling  and 
sometimes  thought  of  keeping  his  bonds  and  borrow 
ing  money  enough  to  start  some  small  business,  just 
to  occupy  his  time  and  increase  his  income  a  little. 
"But,"  said  he,  "this  paying  interest  I  don't  like. 
It  is  the  wrong  side  of  business.  It  is  giving  a  cer 
tainty  for  an  uncertainty.  It  is  the  very  thing  that 
makes  paupers  of  many  and  millionaires  of  a  few.  In 
short  it  is  something  for  nothing,  and  as  the  pistol  is 
to  the  highwayman,  so  is  interest  to  the  banker,  and 
is  the  very  thing  that  enables  one  class  to  live  off  of 
another  with  perfect  impunity. " 

For  some  time  he  was  revolving  this  proposition  in 
his  mind  but  no  action  was  taken  until  one  day,  in  an 
excited  manner,  he  called  his  wife  who  had  been  look 
ing  after  household  duties;  as  she  entered  the  room 
he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  was  clutching  the  morning 
paper  nervously  in  his  hands;  as  she  approached  he 
motioned  her  to  a  seat  and  gave  her  the  paper  as  he 


14  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC, 

pointed  to  an  article  that  was  headed  "The  Banking 
act  in  full,  as  it  passed  both  houses,  was  signed  by  the 
President  and  has  become  a  law." 

"Read  it,"  he  said,  "I  am  afraid  I  do  not  understand 
it  right,  there  must  be  some  mistake  and  I  want  to  see 
what  you  make  of  it."  But  without  his  lady  having 
time  to  read,  he  took  the  paper  and  read  the  impor 
tant  things  aloud. 

"Now,"  said  he,  "if  I  understand  this  right,  the 
government  proposes  to  take  my  bonds  on  deposit, 
keep  and  be  responsible  for  them,  pay  me  my  interest 
in  full  and  in  gold  every  six  months  and  in  addition 
to  this,  government  gives  me  ninety  dollars  out  of 
every  one  hundred  of  my  money  back  at  one  per  cent 
interest  to  go  to  banking  on;  so  you  see  that  while  I 
am  drawing  my  interest  from  the  government  in  gold 
I  can  loan  the  same  money  here  and  they  will  pay  me 
a  large  interest  again.  So  you  see  if  the  people  are 
the  government,  as  they  claim  to  be,  it  is  certainly 
very  kind  in  them  to  pay  me  interest  on  $50,000  at 
Washington,  and  then  give  me  $45,000  of  my  money 
back  so  I  can  lend  it  to  them  the  second  time  and  get 
another  interest  on  the  same  money.  Now  I  don't 
believe  there  is  anything  in  it.  I  believe  it  is  a  lie 
got  up  by  political  shysters  to  injure  the  administration 

"I  am  surprised  that  the  government  don't  suppress 
some  of  these  papers,  but  it  won't  do  to  be  too  fast. 
The  other  legislation  such  as  paying  interest  in  gold 
and  then  in  order  to  meet  the  demands  for  gold  thus 
created,  placing  the  exception  clause  on  greenbacks,  is 
equally  as  bad.  And  it  begins  to  look  as  though  our 
laws  were  made  in  Wall  Street  instead  of  Washington 
and  it  may  turn  out  that  way  yet. 

"But  if  this  is  a  true  bill,  I  will  be  able  to  make 
$10,000  a  year  right  here  in  banking  and  draw  my 
interest,  amounting  to  $3,000,  in  gold  beside,  and  there 
is  no  telling  what  that  gold  will  be  worth  before  the 
war  is  over,  that  is,  if  this  class  legislation  is  not 
repealed.  Why,  it  is  better  than  a  gold  mine;  it  will 
beat  any  pension  and  will  be  showing  the  class  more 
favor,  who  get  the  benefit  of  it,  than  the  nobility  of 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  15 

England.  I  shall  start  for  New  York  in  the  morning 
and  see  if  there  be  any  truth  in  it." 

That  night  Mr.  Goldburg  packed  his  valise,  and  in 
the  morning  started  for  New  York.  On  arriving,  he 
went  to  a  hotel,  and  retired  early,  to  dream  of  the 
possibility  of  being  yet  mistaken,  concerning  the  true 
meaning  of  the  law.  He  was  afraid  of  being  laughed 
at  by  his  bankers  if  it  should  prove  to  be  a  burlesque. 

"If  it  is  possible  that  this  law  has  passed  Congress 
and  my  understanding  of  it  is  correct,  it  must  cer 
tainly  have  been  done  by  a  conspiracy  between  the 
bankers  and  the  party  leaders  in  Congress,  who  have 
taken  advantage  of  the  terrible  straits  in  which  the 
government  is  placed  to  crowd  the  bill  through  when 
the  attention  of  the  Representatives  was  concentrated 
upon  war  measures  which  they  considered  of  more 
importance;  it  is  too  bare-faced  to  last  long,  but  I  can 
take  advantage  of  it  while  it  lasts  and  while  the  Wall 
Street  bankers  are  making  millions,  I  can  make  a  few 
thousands."  His  mind  ran  on  in  this  way  till  nearly 
morning  when  he  dropped  into  a  restless  sleep. 

Long  after  day  light  he  awoke,  raised  himself  to  a 
sitting  posture,  reached  for  the  paper  which  was  in 
his  coat  pocket  and  opening  it  he  again  read  the  U.  S. 
Banking  Act,  for  the  ninety-ninth  time.  It  was  still 
there — not  a  dream,  the  golden  god  still  continued  to 
smile. 

After  breakfast  Mr.  Goldburg  consulted  his  watch; 
it  was  only  half  past  seven.  "O  horror,"  he  said 
in  his  impatience,  "the  bank  will  not  be  open  for  two 
hours.  These  bankers  are  as  autocratic  as  the  Czar  of 
Russia."  At  last,  nine  o'clock  arrived  and  Mr.  Gold 
burg  dropped  into  the  office  of  one  of  the  largest  bank 
ing  firms  in  the  city.  It  was  a  house  where  he  had 
formerly  done  a  good  deal  of  business  and  he  was 
recognized  at  once.  On  stating  that  he  wanted 
to  talk  over  business  matters  of  importance,  he 
was  ushered  into  a  private  room  and  informed  that 
the  law  had  already  gone  into  effect.  It  had  cost  a 
good  deal  of  money  to  lobby  it  through  Congress,  but 
the  bankers'  association  had  put  up  all  the  money  and 


l6  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

would  expect  those  taking  advantage  of  the  law,  to 
reimburse  them. 

Everything  being  satisfactory,  Mr.  Goldburg  laid 
before  the  bankers  a  proposition  to  organize  a  com 
pany  to  conduct  a  banking  business  at  Bopeep;  he 
dwelt  extensively  on  the  agricultural  resources  of  the 
country,  its  grand  water  power  and  maufacturing 
probabilities,  and  being  well  pleased  with  the  locality 
the  bankers  expressed  a  willingness  to  take  one  half  of 
the  stock.  This  being  satisfactory  they  proposed  to 
organize  by  making  one  of  the  New  York  bankers 
president  and  Mr.  Goldburg  cashier.  A  few  days  were 
then  spent  in  organizing  and  completing  details,  the 
most  important  of  which  was  to  secure  from  the  gov 
ernment  $90,000  in  cash  at  one  per  cent  for  twenty 
years,  while  government  was  paying  them  six  per  cent 
in  gold  on  the  same  money.  Mr.  Goldburg  said  it  was 
what  Californians  would  call  "double-shooting  the  turn. " 

At  last,  everything  being  arranged,  Mr.  Goldburg 
returned  to  Bopeep  accompanied  by  Mr.  Goldman,  a 
representative  of  ttoe  New  York  bankers.  A  suitable 
room  was  soon  secured  and  a  large  iron  safe  set  in 
place,  a  few  tables,  chairs  and  screens  were  all  that 
were  necessary  to  start  and  run  a  business  that  in  time 
would  dominate  all  others  and  make  more  criminals 
than  whiskey,  more  beggars  than  beer. 

Mr.  Goldman  was  an  apostate  Jew  Americanized; 
his  stock  of  general  information  was  sadly  deficient 
but  he  wore  good  clothes  and  had  studied  finance 
from  boyhood.  None  knew  better  than  he  the  different 
monetary  systems  and  the  value  of  money,  bonds  and 
stocks;  he  was  not  a  capitalist  and  spent  every  dollar 
of  his  salary  for  dress  and  in  gambling,  arid  seemed  to 
have  no  inclination  to  own  property. 

At  the  same  time  he  seemed  to  have  every  faculty 
for  making  sharp  turns  on  the  money  changer's  tables 
and  for  years  he  had  been  in  the  employ  of  the  same 
firm.  Had  he  made  his  start,  like  some  others,  by 
some  accident  or  chance,  no  doubt  he  would  have  been 
one  of  the  most  exacting  and  unscrupulous  men  on  the 
earth,  but  as  he  had  no  means  himself,  he  became  a 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  17 

willing  tool  for  others,  to  carry  out  their  verv  laudable 
purpose  of  building  up  a  money  aristocracy,  by  the 
use  of  every  possible  scheme  or  device  which  could  be 
invented  for  obtaining  money  from  the  people  without 
giving  anything  in  return.  How  they  succeeded  in 
getting  millions  of  dollars  from  the  people,  for  abso 
lutely  nothing,  will  be  seen  further  on. 

I  say  from  the  people,  because  as  the  people  own 
everything,  there  is  positively  no  other  source  from 
which  men  can  obtain  wealth. 

I  say  they  gave  nothing  in  return,  because  they  had 
nothing  to  give,  and  as  they  produced  nothing,  every 
dollar  they  obtained  was  obtained  for  nothing. 

You  may  clothe  the  transaction  in  all  the  high-sound 
ing  language  at  your  disposal;  you  may  cover  it  up 
with  a  multitude  of  figures;  you  may  talk  about 
interest,  discount  and  commission;  but  the  facts 
remain  the  same,  that  there  is  not  a  millionaire  who 
ever  lived  who  has  given  the  world  or  given  the  people 
value  received  for  what  he  has;  consequently  it  is 
legalized  robbery,  but  in  order  to  accommodate  this 
book  to  the  absurd  teachings  of  our  early  education, 
I  will  call  it  speculation. 


CHAPTER  III. 

WHEN  Mr.  Goldburg  first  landed  in  the  little  town 
of  Bopeep  he  purchased  a  small  piece  of  land  for 
a  nominal  sum,  on  the  outskirt  of  the  town,  and  built 
a  small  cottage.  His  family  consisted  of  his  wife,  one 
son,  who  was  then  eleven  years  old,  and  a  daughter, 
Rebecca,  thirteen  years  of  age.  Mr.  Goldburg  had 
married  a  California  girl,  at  least  her  people  had  emi 
grated  to  that  state  from  Ohio  in  an  early  day,  and 
like  a  solitary  plant  in  rich  soil  and  genial  climate,  the 
girl,  unfettered  by  religious  dogmas  or  political  bias, 
had  grown  into  womanhood  with  a  degree  of  self-reli 
ance  which  few  women  of  her  day  possessed. 

Her  love  of  money  was  only  equal  to  the  good  that 
could  be  accomplished  with  the  same.  She  had  read 
about  Jesus  overturning  the  tables  of  the  money 
changers,  telling  them  that  they  had  turned  the  house 
of  the  Lord  into  a  den  of  thieves,  his  condemning 
usury,  and  she  had  learned  to  look  upon  a  millionaire 
as  a  miser,  as  a  brute.  She  disliked  ostentation  but 
taught  her  children  to  be  plain,  but  neat  and  good. 

Among  her  neighbors  she  was  a  real  favorite  but 
found  little  time  to  visit,  as  she  and  her  children  were 
kept  pretty  busy  in  the  garden  and  in  planting  and 
cultivating  shrubs  to  beautify  their  little  home. 

Her  husband  often  wanted  her  to  employ  some  one 
to  do  the  work  but  she  objected,  saying  that  the  more 
trouble  a  thing  cost  the  more  she  appreciated  it; 
besides  it  would  keep  the  children  out  of  mischief  and 
furnish  them  good  healthy  employment  and  cultivate 
in  them  a  taste  for  such  things.  In  addition  to  this, 
she  enjoyed  arranging  things  as  much  as  she  did  see 
ing  them  after  they  were  arranged. 

There  was  a  good  common  school  in  the  place  and 


AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  19 

Mrs.  Goldburg  never  allowed  work  to  interfere  with 
her  children  going  to  school,  but  on  the  contrary, 
looked  upon  the  work  they  were  called  to  do  around 
home  as  a  kind  of  stepping-stone  or  preparation  of 
their  young  minds,  under  her  own  guidance,  for  a 
higher  development,  through  their  studies  in  school 
and  during  school  terms  they  were  kept  in  constant 
attendance. 

Both  advanced  rapidly  in  their  studies  and  Rebecca 
was  the  favorite  of  the  whole  school.  She  seemed  to 
have  a  magic  influence  that  drew  all  toward  her. 
While  she  was  perfectly  self-reliant,  she  had  at  the 
same  time  warm  sympathies  and  ever  kind  words  for 
her  playmates,  and  they  all  loved  her,  all  wanted  to 
play  with  her,  and  the  girl  that  occupied  a  desk  with 
her  was  envied  by  all  the  others. 

In  the  early  married  life  of  Mr.  Goldburg  he  was 
poor  and  had  to  rustle  in  every  conceivable  way  to 
make  ends  meet  and  he  often  found  himself  in  debt; 
while  this  was  the  case  his  wife  took  a  lively  interest 
in  his  business  and  often  took  in  odd  jobs  of  sewing 
or  mending  for  the  miners  in  order  to  assist  in  supply 
ing  the  family  wants;  but  now  having  accumulated  a 
large  sum  of  money,  what  she  considered  a  fortune, 
had  retired  from  the  gold  mine,  also  from  other  busi 
ness  and  made  a  safe  investment  of  all  their  money  in 
government  bonds  that  was  paying  them  an  enormous 
interest,  more  in  fact  than  was  necessary  to  keep  the 
family  in  luxury,  she  could  see  no  necessity  for  her 
husband's  going  into  this  new  venture.  "But,"  said 
her  husband,  "there  is  no  venture  about  it.  All  I  have 
to  do  is  to  take  the  money  that  government  gives  me, 
amounting  on  my  part  to  $45,000,  and  loan  it  out  to 
the  people  here  for  whatever  interest  I  choose  to  ask 
and  I  don't  think  we  will  be  apt  to  let  any  go  for  less 
than  eight  per  cent.  Why,  just  think  of  it,  $45,000 
at  eight  per  cent  willgive  me  over  $3,500  clear  money; 
besides  some  are  bound  to  have  bad  luck  and  fail  to 
pay  on  time,  then  the  bank  will  foreclose,  buy  in  their 
property  at  forced  sale  for  a  great  deal  less  than  what 


aO  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

it  is  worth,  and  in  that  way  make  a  great  deal  of 
money.  You  see  it  is  make,  make  everywhere." 

"But  suppose,"  said  his  wife,  "the  bank  should  lose 
some  of  this  $45,000,  would  you  not  lose  your  bonds?" 

"Of  course  it  would  seem  that  way,  but  we  have  this 
$45,000  for  twenty  years,  and  the  gold  interest  on  the 
bonds  converted  into  greenbacks  and  compounded 
every  six  months,  in  twenty  years  will  amount  to  over 
$100,000,  so  you  see  that  even  were  I  to  lose  every 
dollar  of  the  $45,000,  and  then  at  the  end  of  the  twenty 
years  lose  the  bonds,  I  would  still  be  worth  $100,000 
or  over,  just  from  the  interest  paid  me  during  that  time. " 

"If  the  government  lets  you  have  $45,000  atone  per 
cent,  why  don't  they  put  $5,000  more  to  that  and  pay 
off  the  bonds  and  stop  the  interest  and  lend  the  money 
to  the  people  at  one  per  cent  instead  of  letting  you 
loan  it  at  eight  per  cent?" 

"Of  course,  if  the  legislation  was  all  done  for  the 
benefit  of  the  people,  it  would  be  a  different  thing, 
But  the  way  it  is,  the  people  stay  at  home  and  let 
Congress  do  the  legislating;  but  the  bankers  have  a 
strong  organization  and  they  get  a  great  many  of  their 
members  elected  to  the  House  and  often  to  the  Senate, 
and  then  they  send  strong  men  to  Washington  with 
plenty  of  money  and  they  generally  manage  to  get  the 
bills  through  for  their  own  benefit." 

"This  present  law,"  said  he,  "is  all  for  the  benefit 
of  the  bankers  and  if  I  don't  take  the  benefit  some  one 
else  will.  In  fact  some  one  will  have  to,  for  as  soon  as 
the  war  is  over  the  bankers  will  get  an  act  passed 
withdrawing  the  greenbacks  from  circulation  and  then 
the  people  will  be  compelled  to  go  to  the  banks  for 
money,  there  will  be  no  other  way  to  get  it,  for 
it  is  law. 

"And  so  far  as  our  losing  is  concerned,  it  is  out  of 
the  question;  bankers  never  lose.  If  a  bank  breaks, 
it  is  the  depositors  that  lose  and  not  the  bankers. 

"Farmers'  crops  may  fail,  cattle  die  and  floods  carry 
off  land  improvements,  but  the  land  will  remain  to  pay 
the  banker." 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  2f 

"Well,  I  do  not  see,"  said  Mrs.  Goldburg,  "what 
good  there  is  in  taking  all  this  additional  business 
upon  yourself.  The  banking  business  is  complicated 
and  these  men  who  are  in  it  have  been  schooled  in 
finance  since  childhood  and  you  will  be  forced  to  study 
night  and  day  to  keep  up." 

"There  is  just  where  you  are  mistaken,"  said  Mr. 
Goldburg,  "it  is  right  the  reverse;  it  takes  a  smart 
man  to  run  a  peanut  stand  and  make  money,  but  any 
fool  who  has  enough  bonds,  can  get  money  of  the 
government  for  nothing,  loan  it  to  the  people  and 
make  money,  have  a  lawyer  make  out  the  mortgage 
and  make  the  man  who  borrows  the  money  pay  for  it. 
The  most  difficult  problem  that  a  banker  has  to  solve 
is  how  to  keep  the  money  on  hand,  beyond  the  reach 
of  thieves,  and  the  mechanics  are  helping  him  out  on 
that  by  building  iron  safes  and  vaults  that  are  per 
fectly  impregnable." 

"Well,  my  dear  husband,  don't  you  think  that  you 
could  enjoy  life  better  to  let  all  this  money  making 
business  go  and  turn  your  attention  to  studying  science, 
in  reading,  traveling,  and  in  fact  anything  to  enjoy 
life  and  make  time  pass  pleasantly?  You  see  the 
interest  on  these  bonds  is  more  than  enough  to  keep 
us  all  in  luxury,  and  you  will  have  nothing  on  your 
mind,  but  enjoy  yourself  in  your  own  way;  you  can 
travel  and  enjoy  everything  that  is  going  on  in  the 
whole  country. 

"It  seems  to  me  that  all  the  money  a  man  makes 
more  than  what  he  can  use  in  a  natural  life  time  and 
give  his  children  a  good  comfortable  start  in  the  world 
is  a  waste  of  energy,  i  can  not  see  what  good  this 
surplus  wealth  can  do  you  or  anybody  else.  It  looks 
like  foolishness  to  waste  time  in  trying  to  get  •  some 
thing  that  we  do  not  need  and  really  have  no  use  for. 
Besides  you  say  these  laws  are  all  made  for  the  benefit 
of  the  banks,  that  they  were  lobbied  through  Congress 
when  the  attention  of  the  people  was  absorbed  in  war. 
Now  when  tho,  war  is  over  I  am  afraid  there  will  be  a 
day  of  retribution." 


22  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

Mr.  Goldburg  then  explained  that  so  far  as  retiring 
on  the  interest  was  concerned  it  would  be  more  desira 
ble  by  allodds,  but  it  was,  under  the  present  reign  of 
things,  perfectly  impracticable. 

"The  money  power  has  full  control  of  all  our  finan 
cial  legislation,"  said  he,  "and  the  laws  are  already  so 
framed  that  a  few  unscrupulous  men  will  gather  the 
wealth  of  this  country  together  so  rapidly  that  the 
plutocratic  world  will  look  on  with  silent  admiration. 
And  men  of  small  fortunes  like  ourselves  will  be 
swallowed  up  by  stock  and  bond  manipulation, 
squeezed  out  and  forced  to  the  wall,  and  in  a  short 
time  this  will  be  a  government  of  millionaires  and 
paupers,  and  as  the  choice  between  the  two  I  prefer 
to  be  a  millionaire.  It  is  true  the  financial  laws  are 
all  one-sided  and  in  reality,  this  whole  banking  scheme 
is  as  much  a  robbery  as  was  ever  perpetrated  by  Joa- 
quin  or  Robin  Hood,  but  still  it  is  law  and  has  be 
come  a  part  of  our  government;  and  the  American 
people  are  so  patriotic  that  it  will  take  a  long  time  for 
them  to  be  forced  to  acknowledge  the  fact,  even  after 
they  know  it  is  true.  It  is  always  easier  to  commit  a 
wrong  than  ?.t  is  to  rectify  one  that  has  been  committed. 

"Besides,  the  banking  law  is  the  same  in  principle 
and  effect  that  is  now  existing  in  Great  Britain  and  it 
has  prospered  there  for  nearly  two  hundred  years,  and 
notwithstanding  the  Bank  of  England  is  nothing  more 
or  less  than  a  private  corporation,  the  same  as  our 
present  bank,  it  has  actually  become  stronger  than  the 
government  itself  and  the  whole  people,  even  the 
nobility,  are  paying  tribute  to  it. 

"There  is  therefore  no  good  reason  to  doubt  but  that 
the  day  will  come  when  the  Bank  Association  will 
name  a  candidate  for  President  of  each  of  the  great 
political  parties  and  thus  having  their  own  man  atthe 
helm,  a  strong  navy,  and  an  army  recruited  from 
the  tramp  element,  would  be  able  to  control  this  gov 
ernment  and  these  people. 

"Joint  stock  companies  will  be  organized  to  run  the 
large  papers  and  their  stock  put  upon  the  market. 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  §3 

Bankers  will  buy  it  in  and  thus  control  the  press,  and 
by  a  system  of  advertising,  will  even  force  books  into 
the  schogls  that  will  start  the  young  mind  off  in  the 
right  direction  to  believe  that  their  only  hope  to  live 
at  all  in  this  miserable  world  is  in  the  gold  base  and 
national  bank. 

"An  aristocracy  will  be  built  that  will  be  as  formid 
able  in  its  proportions  and  exacting  in  its  demands  as 
that  of  Germany  or  Britain. 

"Of  course  it  will  be  hard  for  the  American  people 
to  see  their  liberties  curtailed  and  their  property  slip 
ping  away,  but  the  newspapers  that  they  look  to  for 
knowledge  will  give  them  a  hundred  different  reasons 
for  the  hard  times  and  demonstrate  to  them  by  figures 
enough  to  cover  the  whole  side  of  a  newspaper,  that 
if  it  had  not  been  for  the  National  Banks  keeping  the 
people  up,  they  would  all  have  starved  to  death  long 
ago,  and  in  this  way  they  will  be  led  right  on  down 
and  made  slaves  to  their  own  ignorance. 

"So  I  see  but  one  safe  way  and  that  is  to  make  all 
we  can,  take  advantage  of  everything  that  comes  in 
our  favor,  make  thousands  first,  then  millions  if  we 
can,  for  as  sure  as  the  sun  rises  and  sets,  there  is  no 
such  thing  as  standing  still  in  this  day.  If  I  do  not 
rob  some  one,  then  some  one  will  rob  me;  forty  years 
from  to-day,  if  we  live,  we  will  either  be  extremely 
rich  or  extremely  poor." 

Mrs.  Goldburg  had  listened  with  a  sad  heart  to  this 
dreadful  picture  of  her  country's  future,  but  having 
been  already  well  posted  as  to  how  Mr.  Goldburg  had 
received  his  information,  and  also  knowing  that  he 
had  actually  brought  back  from  the  treasury  $45,000 
to  loan  out  among  his  neighbors,  while  his  own 
money  was  every  dollar  of  it  invested  in  government 
bonds  bearing  an  enormous  interest,  she  felt  that  the 
facts  were  all  against  her  and  she  was  in  no  mood  to 
differ  with  him  in  regard  to  our  government  in  its  dis 
tress  falling  a  victim  to  the  great  money  powers  of 
Britain  and  the  advisability  of  keeping  on  the  safe 
side  by  taking  advantage  of  every  point  that  presented 


24  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

itself  for  increasing  their  financial  importance  and 
strength. 

But  Rebecca,  who  had  breathed  from  infancy  the  free 
air  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  whose  constant  associa 
tion  was  with  children  whose  fathers,  brothers,  uncles 
and  cousins  were  offering  up  their  lives  to  protect  their 
homes  and  government,  was  as  full  of  the  patriotic 
spirit  as  the  full  blown  rose  is  of  perfume,  and  this 
dreadful  picture  was  too  much.  Laying  down  the 
book  she  was  idly  reading  during  this  long  talk,  in' an 
instant,  like  the  godess  of  Liberty  with  uplifted  hands, 
she  stood  before  her  father  and  said,  "Father,  this 
cannot  be,  the  noble  hearted,  brave  men  and  boys  of 
this  country  are  in  the  army  now,  and  thinking  only 
of  the  loved  ones  and  the  foe,  but  while  they  are  at 
the  front,  if  a  coil  be  thrown  around  the  grand  old 
Ship  of  State  by  these  men  who  deal  only  in  gold, 
they  will  no  more  stop  its  progress  than  the  Indian 
who  throws  his  noose  over  the  flying  locomotive. 
The  one  will  be  dragged  to  an  ignominious  death;  the 
other  will  ride  to  his  doom  in  a  palace  of  state.  Those 
who  have  tasted  liberty  will  never  die  slaves. " 

Thus  saying  she  left  the  room  and  in  another  apart 
ment  threw  herself  upon  a  lounge  and  burying  her  face 
in  her  hands  gave  herself  up  to  silent  grief. 

The  father  and  mother,  as  though  by  one  impulse, 
arose  to  follow,  and  Mr.  Goldburg,  with  a  touch  of 
remorse,  said,  "I  never  thought  but  I  know  now  that 
I  ought  not  to  have  said  so  much  before  our  daughter, 
for  her  whole  soul  is  filled  with  sentiments  of  American 
patriotism  and  she  knows  but  little  of  man's  true 
destiny."  On  reaching  her  side  he  tried  hard  to  com 
fort  her. 

It  was  spring  now.  Nature  was  fast  putting  on  her 
mantle  of  green;  birds  chirped  merrily  as  they  skipped 
from  bough  to  bough;  every  breath  of  air  seemed  laden 
with  rich  perfume  and  all  things  were  taking  on  new 
life,  and  the  new  National  Bank  had  begun  already  to 
thrive. 

Soldiers    had    been    sending   money  home  from  the 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  2$ 

arjny;  products  of  all  kinds  brought  a  good  price; 
wages  were  good  and  work  plenty.  All  this  helped  to 
swell  the  deposits  and  a  great  deal  of  money  had  been 
loaned  on  good  interest. 

There  was  a  vacant  lot  on  the  same  square  where 
the  bank  was  now  situated  and  Mr.  Goldman,  the 
clerk,  in  his  usual  business-like  way,  discovered  that 
it  belonged  to  a  Mr.  Stillwater,  a  well-to-do  farmer, 
and  that  this  same  Mr.  Stillwater  had  also  $10,000  on 
deposit,  so  he  suggested  to  Mr.  Goldburg  that  if. 
would  be  a  good  plan  to  induce  Mr.  Stillwater  to  build 
a  first-class  brick  block  and  fit  the  corner  up  for  the 
National  Bank. 

*  Being  pleased  with  the  proposition,  Mr.  Goldburg 
was  not  long  in  accidentally  meeting  Mr.  Stillwater, 
and  brought  the  suggestion  of  a  building  around  in  a 
very  indifferent  way  by  proposing  to  rent  the  corner  at 
a  good  round  figure,  it  he  would  put  up  a  good  building. 

Mr.  Stillwater  said  he  had  figured  on  the  matter  and 
found  that  it  would  cost  $30,000  to  put  up  the  build 
ing  and  he  could  not  raise  that  much;  he  had  been 
offered  $10,000  for  the  lot  and  he  was  now  on  a  stand 
whether  to  sell  the  lot  for  $10,000,  or  borrow  $20,000 
which  added  to  the  $10,000  he  now  had  in  the  bank 
would  put  up  the  building,  He  was,  of  course,  in 
formed  that  the  bank  would  furnish  what  money  was 
necessary  and  take  a  mortgage  on  the  property.  Mr. 
Stillwater  said  that  he  would  think  the  matter  over, 
and  on  the  following  day  called  at  the  bank  and  made 
arrangements  for  the  $20,000.  He  then  advertised  for 
contract  and  in  ten  days  had  the  building  under  way, 
the  contract  price  being  $30,000. 

After  Mr.  Stillwater  left  the  bank,  Mr.  Goldburg, 
addressing  the  clerk,  said,  "Mr.  Goldman,  do  you  not 
think  that  we  have  made  a  mistake  in  not  buying  the 
lot  and  erecting  a  building  ourselves?  The  rent  on  the 
part  of  the  building  that  we  use  will  amount,  I  see,  to 
as  much  as  the  interest  on  the  $20,000." 

"True,"  said  Mr.  Goldman,  "but  you  see  that  as  soon 
as  this  war  is  over  the  greenbacks  will  be  withdrawn 


26  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

from  circulation,  money  will  become  so  scarce  that  this 
property  will  not  sell  for  enough  to  pay  the  mortgage 
and  the -bank  will  then  foreclose  and  bid  it  in  at  forced 
sale  for  less  than  one-half  of  its  present  cost. " 

"But,"  said  Mr.  Goldburg,"  is  there  any  certainty  of 
their  being  able  to  get  the  contraction  act  through? 

"Knowing  as  you  do,"  said  Mr  Goldman,  "what  has 
been  already  accomplished  by  way  of  legislation,  can 
you  for  a  moment  doubt  the  ability  of  the  money  power 
to  carry  any  act  through  Congress  that  will  strengthen 
the  position  of  the  banks?  " 


CHAPTER  IV. 

WHEN  Col.  Bundy  returned  to  the  front  with  his 
regiment,  it  was  decided  that  in  order  to  send 
the  children  to  school  Mrs.  Bundy  should  move  to 
town.  They  therefore  made  arrangements  with  one 
of  the  neighbors  to  look  after  the  farm  during  the 
winter;  then  they  bought  a  small  building  in  the 
suburbs  of  the  town. 

When  snugly  settled  in  their  new  home,  Mrs.  Bundy 
was  not  long  in  getting  her  children  into  school. 
Frank  was  given  a  desk  on  the  extreme  right  of  the 
room  and  after  arranging  his  papers,  books,  etc., 
before  commencing  his  studies,  he  cast  his  eyes  about 
the  room  to  take  in  the  situation.  From  one  to  another 
of  his  neighbors  his  eyes  passed  with  scarcely  a  reflec 
tion  until  directly  opposite  him  they  encountered 
another  pair  of  eyes  that  held  his  own  for  an  instant. 
It  was  a  long,  interested  look.  In  fact  they  seemed  to 
be  looking  right  through  his  eyes  down  into  his  soul 
and  reading  his  secret  thoughts. 

Their  eyes  seemed  to  meet  by  accident  and  separate 
as  though  some  hidden  power  were  controlling  each  in 
union. 

Frank  was  soon  buried  in  thought  concerning  his 
studies,  but  in  spite  of  a  strong  effort  to  the  contrary 
his  mind  wandered  back  to  those  lovely  eyes,  and  he 
raised  his  eyes  just  in  the  right  time  to  meet  again  the 
same  long,  interested  look. 

Frank  was  beginning  to  experience  something  he 
had  never  felt  before;  he  knew  what  it  meant,  but 
resolved  not  to  give  up  to  his  feelings.  He  came  there 
to  learn  and  he  would  let  nothing  divert  his  mind 
from  his  books,  and  if  there  was  to  be  any  love  affair 
it  must  be  after  school  was  over,  But  with  all  these 


28  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

good  resolutions  his  eyes  would  some/times  wander 
back  to  those  of  his  fair  enchantress. 

When  noon  came  Frank  took  his  place  at  the  foot 
of  the  spelling  class.  Miss  Rebecca  Goldburg,  the 
banker's  daughter,  was  the  girl  in  whom  he  was  so 
much  interested  and  he  noticed  that  she  was  next  the 
head;  it  was  not  long  before  she  was  at  the  head  and 
before  they  were  done  spelling  Frank  was  at  her  side. 
She  received  him  with  a  smile,  but  the  class  was  not 
so  well  pleased.  He  was  a  new  boy,  arid  to  go  next 
to  the  head  of  the  spelling  class  the  first  time  was  too 
much.  Besides  some  of  the  boys  thought  Rebecca  too 
well  pleased. 

In  starting  for  home  when  school  was  out,  Rebecca 
managed  to  walk  with  Frank's  sister  and  when  part 
way  home  they  waited  for  Frank  and  all  went  home 
together.  -  As  they  lived  near  each  other  they  were 
soon  well  acquainted  and  fast  friends. 

On  returning  to  school,  Frank  went  to  the  ball 
grounds  and  took  part  in  the  play  until  school  called 
and  he  was  not  long  in  discovering  that  he  had 
aroused  the  jealousy  of  the  whole  class.  At  recess  a 
boy  about  a  year  older  than  himself,  who  had  been  a 
kind  of  a  bully  among  the  others,  grabbed  his  cap  and 
began  to  soil  it.  Frank  took  it  out  of  his  hands  and 
told  him  not  to  bother  him  any  more;  at  this  the  boy 
began  to  abuse  him  and  finally  slapped  him,  but  when 
Frank  got  the  slap,  as  a  sporting  man  would  say,  he 
let  go  his  right  in  regular  pugilistic  style  and  landed 
square  on  the  rib  with  such  force  that  the  big  boy  got 
away  and  said  that  he  did  not  want  to  fight.  After  this 
little  episode  the  boys  were  all  Frank's  friends. 

As  school  progressed  it  was  noticed  that  Frank  was 
not  only  first  in  play  but  was  also  first  in  all  his 
studies,  and  although  not  much  larger  than  the  average 
boy  of  his  age  it  was  plain  to  be  seen  that  in  strength 
and  durability  he  had  few  equals. 

In  learning  he  was  not  slow  but  it  required  constant 
study  to  maintain  his  place  at  the  head  of  his  class,  yet 
he  never  became  so  busily  engaged  in  his  studies  but 
what  Rebecca  found  a  place  in  his  thoughts  and  as  the 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  2g 

winter  rolled  by  they  were  often  together  and  growing 
constantly  nearer  and  dearer  to  each  other. 

During  the  winter  ,they  had  many  an  entertain 
ment  for  the  benefit  of  the  boys  in  the  army  and 
Rebecca  was  often  called  upon  to  render  patri 
otic  pieces.  It  was  in  the  rendition  of  these  that 
she  developed  sudh  an  intense  feeling  for  the  American 
people  and  flag,  that,  coupled  with  her  excellent 
delivery  and  pleasing  manner,  soon  made  her  the 
favorite  of  the  whole  country,  and  especially  of  those 
whose  friends  were  in  the  war.  As  her  elocutionary 
powers  developed,  she  was  sent  for  from  near  and  far 
and  large  sums  of  money  were  raised  through  exhibi 
tions  in  which  she  played  an  important  part.  Through 
a  regularly  organized  Relief  corps,  this  money  soon 
found  its  way  to  the  Hospitals  and  did  much  to  allevi 
ate  the  sufferings  of  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers. 

At  last  the  winter  school  closed  and  Mrs.  Bundy, 
with  her  little  family,  returned  to  their  country  home. 
There  was  a  feeling  of  sadness  at  parting  with  old 
friends  and  playmates,  but  it  was  overbalanced  by  the 
thought  of  again  enjoying  their  old  home;  the  horses, 
cows  and  chickens  seemed  like  old  friends,  besides 
they  were  to  mingle  again  with  friends  of  other  days 
who  were  dear  to  them.  When  again  established 
everything  seemed  very  natural  and  there  was  so  much 
to  do  they  were  far  from  being  lonesome. 

Here  and  there  a  rail  had  been  knocked  from  the 
fence;  these  had  to  be  put  in  place,  garden  ground 
had  to  be  cleared  of  its  rubbish  and  made  ready  for 
planting;  rose  bushes  and  shrubbery  had  to  be  pruned, 
flower  beds  raked  over,  and  it  did  Mrs.  Bundy 's  heart 
good  to  see  the  enjoyment  of  the  children  in  fixing  up 
the  place. 

Frank  had  so  far  developed  toward  manhood  that  he 
was  now  able  to  do  all  kinds  of  work  on  the  farm  and 
with  the  superintendence  of  his  mother,  he  soon  had 
everything  in  running  condition;  the  machinery  was 
all  put  in  order  and  soon  plowing  begun.  No  boy 
ever  commenced  his  summer  work  with  higher  hopes 
and  expectations  than  did  he,  The  winter  at  school 

M 


3O  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

had  been  an  enjoyable  one  and  work  passed  lightly  as 
he  thought  of  many  incidents  in  which  Rebecca  had 
played  an  important  part  and  he  looked  forward  to  the 
time  when  he  should  become  a  man. 

There  was  a  nice  farm  in  the  neighborhood,  which 
he  hoped  some  day  to  own;  he  would  change  the 
fences  to  make  it  more  convenient,  would  plant  an 
orchard  the  first  year  and  in  his  garden  would  have 
all  the  small  fruits  because  they  would  come  on  quickly, 
he  would  tear  down  the  old,  dilapidated  barn  and 
replace  it  with  a  new  one;  the  house,  too,  he  would 
improve.  He  hoped  to  bring  all  these  things  about 
and  to  place  Rebecca  as  the  crowning  jewel  of  all  his 
hopes;  as  children,  they  had  pledged  eternal  love  and 
as  a  man,  he  felt  that  the  greatest  happiness  which 
could  fall  to  his  lot  would  be  to  make  her  happy. 

He  thought  much  and  often  of  these  plans  and  they 
did  not  seem  to  him  extravagant  or  overdrawn.  The 
country  was  prosperous,  work  was  plenty,  there  was  an 
abundance  of  money,  notwithstanding  our  country  was 
carrying  on  war  at  the  cost  of  more  than  a  million 
dollars  a  day,  there  were  good  times,  financially,  all 
over  the  country,  "Of  course, "  said  Frank,  "if  the 
country  can  prosper  and  carry  on  such  a  war, 
when  the  war  ends  and  the  expense  is  stopped  and  the 
thousands  that  are  now  in  the  army,  both  north  and 
south  return  to  their  homes  and  go  to  building  up  and 
not  tearing  down,  our  productions  will  be  doubled,  our 
exports  will  be  immense,  and  once  at  peace  we  will 
prosper  beyond  anything  ever  known. 

"Our  debt,  they  say,  is  a  large  part  of  it  in  green 
backs  and  bears  no  interest,  besides  it  is  needed  to 
take  the  place  of  gold,  as  the  bankers  who  have  the 
gold  have  hidden  it  away  until  danger  is  over;  the 
government  will  tell  them  to  keep  it  now  and  we  will 
have  plenty  of  greenback  money,  and  if  they  stay  in 
circulation  as  long  as  the  government  lasts  we  will  save 
interest  enough  in  one  hundred  years  to  buy  all  the 
gold  in  New  York." 

This  was  the  natural,  common  sense  view  of  the 
situation  entertained  by  the  boy  who  knew  nothing  pf 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  31 

the  intrigues  of  the  gold  gamblers.  Little  did  he 
think  that  even  then  there  existed  a  conspiracy  among 
the  gold  speculators  looking  to  the  withdrawal  of  the 
national  currency  as  soon  as  the  war  was  over,  in  order 
to  make  room  for  their  gold  to  again  circulate,  it  being 
now  hoarded  "pending  the  uncertainty  of  war. 

He  did  not  know  that  the  gold  mongers  had  already 
lobbied  a  bill  through  Congress  establishing  National 
Banks  to  operate  on  the  same  general  principle  or 
plan  upon  which  the  Bank  of  England  is  organized 
and  operates,  and  that  under  that  system  the  Bank  of 
England  has  from  a  very  insignificant  commencement 
become  a  power  that  in  a  wonderful  degree  controls 
the  destiny  of  nations;  and  its  oppressive  hand  has 
been  felt  in  every  civilized  land. 

One  would  think  from  the  name,  "Bank  of  England," 
the  institution  was  strictly  English,  but  it  is  not;  it  is 
simply  an  ulcer  having  fastened  itself  on  the  body 
politic  of  the  English  nation.  And  by  carefnl  investi 
gation  the  reader  will  find  it  is  strictly  a  Jewish 
scheme  In  fact,  instead  of  being  what  its  name  would 
indicate,  it  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  private 
corporation  whose  stock  is  owned  principally  by 
Jews,  who  could  in  all  probability  trace  their  ancestry 
back  in  an  unbroken  line  to  that  remote  period  in 
history  when  Christ  turned  their  parents,  the  money 
changers,  out  of  the  temple  ot  God. 

To  realize  the  unfair  advantage  conferred  upon  the 
bank  by  the  government  we  need  only  to  take  into 
consideration  the  fact  that  the  government  has  become 
bankrupt  while  the  bank  has  become  the  ruling  power 
of  the  earth.  And  the  government  debt  has  become  so 
large  that  they  do  not  count  on  ever  paying  it,  but  will 
pay  the  interest  throughout  all  time.  Thus  the  English 
government  pays  tribute  to  a  golden  god  of  their  own 
creation,  and  in  order  to  make  some  excuse  for  allow- 
ing  such  a  system  to  exist,  the  .English  statesmen  have 
been  forced  to  the  sad  extremity  of  proclaiming  to  the 
world  the  very  dangerous  doctrine,  that  a  government 
debt  is  a  government  blessing.  Shame,  pn  the 
who  could  make  §uch  an  assertion/ 


32  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

After  the  Bundy  family  had  been  for  some  weeks 
upon  the  farm,  they  took  a  day  to  go  to  town  and  do 
some  trading.  The  girls  stopped  at  Mr.  Goldburg's 
to  visit  while  the  mother  and  Frank  went  to  the  store 
to  get  such  things  as  were  needed  in  the  family,  and 
when  they  returned,  Rebecca  obtained  permission  to  go 
with  them  and  spend  a  week  with  Mrs.  Bundy  and 
family.  Frank  had  no  objection  to  this  arrangement, 
in  fact  he  was  pleased  with  the  plan. 

The  Bundy  home  was  an  ordinary  frame  building  of 
seven  rooms,  built  more  for  comfort  than  for  beauty, 
but  the  arrangement  of  the  flowers,  trees  and  shrubs 
was  artistic  to  a  degree  that  is  not  always  found  among 
farmers.  Such  a  variety  of  evergreens  is  seldom  met 
with  in  a  single  grove  as  adorned  their  west  yard,  and 
the  front  and  east  of  the  yard  was  equally  remarkable 
for  the  great  vanety  of  roses,  flowers  and  shrubs. 
There  was  hardly  a  family  in  the  whole  country  who 
had  not  contributed  some  small  plant  or  flower  to  Mrs. 
Bundy 's  collection. 

While  Rebecca  remained  with  the  family,  much  of 
her  time  was  spent  working  among  the  flowers  and  she 
declared  it  gave  her  great  delight.  After  the  morning 
work  she  would  braid  roses  in  her  hair  and  at  ten 
o'clock  go  with  the  other  girls  to  take  a  lunch  to  Frank 
who  was  working  in  the  field,  and  she  would  take  it 
upon  herself  to  open  the  basket  and  spread  a  nice  white 
cloth  upon  the  grass  and  then  arrange  the  good  things 
of  which  there  was  always  quite,  an  abundance.  Frank 
was  quite  used  to  little  kindnesses,  but  this  seemed  to 
come  from  an  angel's  h^ind,  and  never  did  he  seem  to 
so  enjoy  the  company  of  his  little  friend  as  here  in  his 
country  home. 

Rebecca,  too,  was  of  a  light  heart  and  felt  a  touch 
of  joy  in  the  country  breeze;  all  was  love  to  her  and 
why  should  she  not  be  happy,  for  love  'tis  said,  is 
happiness  itself. 


CHAPTER  V. 

IT  is  not  our  purpose  to  give  a  detailed  account  of  all 
the  loans  made,  debts  collected  and  mortgages  fore 
closed  by  the  First  National  Bank  of  Bopeep,  but  in 
order  to  get  our  story  fully  before  the  reader  it  will  be 
necessary  to  draw  your  attention  to  a  few  of  the  secret 
workings. 

After  the  bank  had  been  running  for  several  months, 
it  was  found  that  the  deposits  had  largely  exceeded  the 
disbursements,  and  Mr.  Goldman  suggested  to  Mr. 
Goldburg  that  they  make  additional  investments  in 
bonds.  Mr.  Goldburg  said  it  was  impossible,  as  he 
had,  in  organizing  the  bank,  put  in  all  the  capital  he 
had  and  he  did  not  consider  it  a  safe  proposition  to 
invest  so  much  of  the  deposits  in  bonds. 

Mr.  Goldman  then  explained  that  here  was  "the 
package  of  National  Bank  bills,  $90,000,  that  the  gov 
ernment  so  kindly  gave  us  to  bank  on.  They  remain 
untouched;  our  loans  have  all  been  made  out  of  the 
deposits  so  far,  why  not  take  $10,000  from  our  deposits 
and  put  with  this  package  and  buy  another  hundred 
thousand  dollars'  worth -of  bonds?" 

Mr.  Goldburg  said  the  depositors  might  call  for  their 
money,  and  to  take  out  $10,000  and  invest  in  bonds 
would  be  liable  to  make  them  short  of  money. 

Mr.  Goldman  replied  it  would  not  be  so,  for  as  soon 
as  they  got  the  bonds,  they  could  increase  the  capital 
stock  by  depositing  the  bonds  and  getting  $90,000 
of  bank  bills  "that  will  be  just  as  good  as  this  package; 
we  will  then  have  a  capital  in  bonds  of  $200,000  and 
will  be  out  only  $10,000  on  the  last  lot  of  bonds,  and 
will  draw  a  gold  interest  on  the  extra  bonds  amount 
ing  to  several  thousand  a  year;  the  nice  thing  about 
this  banking  act  is,  it  was  made  for  the  bankers  and  not 


34  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

for  the  government,  or  the  people,  and  is  on  the  prin 
ciple  of  'now  you  see  it  and  now  you  don't  see  it.' 
It  is  the  only  business  in  the  world  where  a  man  draws 
interest  on  what  he  owes.  " 

About  this  time  a  man  registered  at  the  leading 
hotel  of  the  place  of  the  name  of  Goldsmith.  He  was 
about  thirty  years  old  and  the  son  of  a  rich  man;  he 
had  grown  up  in  the  city  of  New  York  into  a  kind  of 
hoodlum.  By  sheer  compulsion  he  had  received  an 
education,  and  being  connected  with  a  family  of  mil 
lionaires,  was  kept  in  a  position  with  very  little  to  do 
and  a  big  salary.  Having  plenty  of  money,  he  became 
a  favorite  with  sluggers  and  gamblers.  He  had  a 
native  shrewdness  which  enabled  him  to  hold  his  own 
among  that  class.  His  father  had  often  tried  to  per 
suade  him  to  drop  his  old  associates  and  become 
interested  in  some  paying  business,  but  Mr.  Goldsmith 
insisted  that  unless  he  could  make  lots  of  money,  he 
wanted  none.  He  came  to  Bopeep  for  the  purpose 
of  making  a  raise,  and  we  shall  see  how  well  he 
succeeded. 

There  was  lenty  of  water-power  near  Bopeep,  plenty 
of  timber  and  other  valuable  resources,  and  all  it  lacked 
was  a  railroad  to  make  the  country  blossom  as  a  rose. 
All  were  on  tip-toe  to  see  capital  come  in.  Mr.  Gold 
smith,  learning  of  the  situation,  determined  to  work 
up  a  scheme  by  which  he  would  become  a  millionaire. 
He  therefore  informed  his  host  that  he  represented 
unlimited  capital  and  was  looking  up  the  railroad 
interest,  and  was  of  the  opinion  that  if  proper  induce 
ments  were  held  out,  he  would  build  a  road  to  Bopeep. 
He  saw  at  once  that  he  had  struck  a  responsive  chord; 
the  landlord  was  elated  and  on  the  following  day  pro 
cured  the  best  rig  in  the  city  and  drove  Mr.  Gold 
smith  over  the  country  to  see  its  advantages,  called  a 
meeting  of  property  owners  to  get  an  expression  of 
feeling  and  pass  such  resolutions  as  would  be  appro 
priate  for  such  a  momentous  occasion. 

The  next  day  the  papers  were  ablaze  with  the  won 
derful  news  that  a  capitalist  was  in  town  looking  up 
the  Railroad  interest. 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  ?5 

Mr.  Goldsmith,  who  it  was  understood  was  a  large 
capitalist  and  financier  of  no  ordinary  ability,  had 
agreed  to  take  the  matter  under  consideration  and  meet 
the  people  of  Bopeep  in  a  public  meeting  one  week 
from  that  day.  So  a  meeting  was  called. 

During  the  ^next  week  Mr.  Goldsmith  was  escorted 
in  every  direction,  and  no  stone  was  left  unturned  to 
impress  him  with  the  wonderful  resources  of  the  coun 
try  and  the  importance  of  such  a  road.  Finally  the 
week  rolled  by  and  the  time  came.  Mr.  Goldsmith 
had  considered  the  matter  well.  That  it  was  a  good 
investment  for  a  man  that  had  money,  there  remained 
little  doubt*  but  he  had  neither  money  nor  reputation. 
In  fact  the  only  thing  with  which  he  was  well  supplied 
was,  to  use  a  quaint  expression,  gall.  But  he  belonged 
to'a  wealthy  family,  was  well  posted  on  Wall  Street 
methods  or  how  millionaires  make  their  money,  and 
during  the  past  week  he  had  made  the  acquaintance  of. 
Mr.  Goldburg,  the  banker,  and  learned  the  name  of 
every  man  that  had  money  on  deposit,  and  accompa 
nied  by  Mr.  Goldburg  had  visited  these  men  and 
succeeded  in  getting  them  to  sign  for  stock  to  the 
extent  of  $100,000. 

At  the  meeting  he  gave  a  fine  account  of  the  benefits 
to  be  derived  from  the  road,  and  said  if  the  city  would 
vote  $100,000  of  six  per  cent  ten -year  bonds,  and  the 
county  also  vote  $100,000  he  would  guarantee  the 
building  of  the  road  just  as  fast  as  money  would  build  it. 

He  said  there  could  be  no  good  reason  why  the 
county  and  city  should  not  vote  bonds,  for  the  tax  on 
the  Railroad  and  other  property  that  it  would  bring 
into  the  county  would  pay  the  bonds,  interest  and  all 
in  less  than  twenty  years.  This  he  demonstrated  by 
actual  figures,  and  before  leaving  town  he  called  on 
each  of  the  editors  of  city  papers  and  dropped  a  small 
check  by  way  of  encouragement  to  puff  the  enterprise. 

He  had  also  made  fast  friends^  with  Mr.  Goldburg 
and  between  him  and  that  gentleman  it  was  understood 
that  as  soon  as  bonds  were  voted,  Messrs.  Goldburg, 
Goldsmith  and  Goldman  (using  the  latter  for  a  cat's 


36  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

paw)  would  organize  a  Railroad  Company  and  get  a 
charter  from  the  State. 

After  all  this  was  arranged  he  returned  to  New  York. 
One  month  from  that  day  bonds  were  voted  by  a 
small  majority  after  a  red  hot  contest  in  which  Mr. 
Goldburg's  money  played  a  very  important  part. 

A  charter  was  then  procured  and  by  the  following 
spring  the  bonds  were  ready  and  the  Company  let  a 
contract  lor  construction.  To  meet  the  first  payment 
of  $100,000  Mr.  Goldsmith's  father  loaned  him  $50,000 
and  Mr.  Goldburg  put  up  the  other  $50,000  out  of  the 
deposits  of  the  bank.  By  the  time  the  next  payment 
fell  due  the  $100,000  of  private  stock  had  been  paid 
in.  Soon  after  this  the  bonds  were  sold  and  things 
moved  along  lively  for  a  time.  Mr.  Goldburg,  who, 
being  in  the  bank  and  knew  just  who  had  money,  had 
been  quite  active  and  succeeded  in  selling  among  the 
citizens  another  $100,000  worth  of  stock. 

But  at  last  it  all  went.  The  road  was  not  yet  com 
pleted.  Something  had  to  be  done.  The  money  was 
all  gone  and  they  owed  the  contractor  $150,000. 

The  Company  was  bankrupt.  The  citizens  could 
raise  no  more  money  and  the  County  and  City  would 
not,  so  they  all  said,  "Let  it  sell."  So  the  road 
was  sold. 

Messrs.  Goldburg  and  Goldsmith  bought  it  in  for 
$150,000  and  costs. 

Then  another  company  was  organized  in  which  Mr. 
Goldburg's  banking  partner  in  New  York,  became  the 
third  party. 

The  next  meeting  was  to  issue  first  mortgage  bonds 
to  the  extent  of  $5,000,000.  This  it  was  estimated 
would  complete  the  road  and  put  on  rolling  stock. 
As  the  New  York  banker  had  millions  of  government 
money  on  hand  without  interest  and  money  was  plenty 
and  loans  slow,  they  were,  of  course,  anxious  to  find 
investment  and  these  first  mortgage  bonds  went  off  at 
sight,  and  the  work  went  on.  The  county,  the  city 
and  the  citizens  were  relieved  of  further  anxiety.  They 
had  lost  what  they  had  invested,  of  course,  but  as  there 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  37 

was  no  help,  they  gave  up  their  little  wealth  as  cheer 
fully  as  though  facing  a  six-shooter. 

There  were  a  few  of  the  old  school  of  Peter  Cooper 
and  J.  B.  Weaver,  greenback  men,  in  the  neighborhood 
who  went  so  far  as  to  brand  the  whole  thing  as  a  base 
fraud  and  declare  that  there  should  be  some  law  to 
protect  the  people  against  such  bare-faced  robbery. 
But  the  company  papers  had  made  a  little  money  out 
of  the  affair,  so  they  silenced  these  old  greenbackers  by 
calling  them  anarchists,  calamity-howlers,  and  accus 
ing  them  of  being  troubled  with  the,  greenback  craze. 

But  with  all  this  newspaper  bombast,  it  was  plain  to 
the  people  that  they  had  lost  half  a  million  dollars  of 
their  earnings,  and  county  bonds  that  would  have  to 
be  paid  by  increased  taxation. 

Mr.  Goldburg  had  become  a  Railroad  magnate,  and 
would  soon  be,  if  not  already,  a  millionaire,  all  from 
the  shrewdness  of  a  man  who  had  been  considered  a 
New  York  hoodlum  or  black-leg.  In  less  than  one 
year  the  road  had  been  put  in  operation  and  had  such 
a  large  and  profitable  business,  that  although  it  had 
cost  about  $5,000,000,  the  company  decided  to  capi 
talize  at  $10,000,000  and  arranged  their  fare  and  freight 
so  that  the  profit  of  the  road  would  pay  a  dividend  on 
that  amount  of  stock.  Thus  had  Mr.  Goldburg  become 
a  millionaire  at  a  bound. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Messrs.  Goldburg  and  Goldsmith 
paid  $100,000,  or  $50,000  each;  then  the  New  York 
Company  put  in  $200,000  to  pay  for  the  road  at 
sheriff's  sale;  of  this  sum  the  New  York  bankers  paid 
$100,000.  They  were  therefore  out  in  the  whole 
transaction  $100,000  each,  all  of  which  they  were  very 
careful  to  take  from  the  first  dividend.  They  sold  first 
mortgage  bonds  to  the  extent  of  $5,000,000.  This 
built  the  road,  and  as  it  had  no  opposition,  the  freights 
and  fares  were  so  adjusted  as  to  pay  a  dividend  on 
$10,000,000.  The  road  was  therefore  worth  that 
amount,  and  as  they  were  out  nothing  and  owed  but 
$5,000,000,  they  of  course  made  $5,000,000  at  the 
expense  of  the  people. 


38  AN   IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

Many  farmers  and  merchants  about  Bopeep  lost  from 
$1,000  to  $10,000  in  this  transaction  but  it*  was  legal. 
Had  Mr.  Goldsmith  stolen  $50  from  these  parties  it 
would  have  been  illegal  and  he  would  have  been  pun 
ished;  in  the  former  case  it  was  legalized  robbery. 

At  this  time  Mr.  Goldburg  received  a  letter  from  his 
old  friend,  Leland  Sanford,  of  California,  as  follows: 

MR.  GOLDBURG;  My  Dear  Sir:  I  hear,  through  our 
friend,  Goldaker  how  you  handled  your  little  Railroad 
scheme;  you  can  hardly  imagine  how  it  pleases  me. 
When  you  went  east  I  thought  you  were  missing  it, 
but  I  see  now,  no  matter  where  a  Caltfornian  goes,  he 
is  bound  to  "get  there."  The  late  war  put  so  much 
money  in  circulation  that  it  has  brought  about  such 
activity  in  business  as  no  country  has  ever  seen,  and 
by  a  little  wire-pulling  it  can  be  gathered  to  the  sur 
face  like  cream;  if  we  don't  skim  it  some  one  else  will. 
We  must  have  millionaires  and  lots  of  them,  otherwise 
the  British  bankers  will  own  the  whole  thing.  I  sup 
pose  you  have  seen  by  the  papers  what  a  pull  we  made 
on  the  government — a'  franchise  lor  a  road,  worth 
millions,  money  enough  to  build  the  road  or  nearly  so, 
and  land.  You  thought  ycu  were  doing  a  big  thing 
when  you  took  advantage  of  the  Banking  Act,  giving 
you  the  use  of  $^.5,000  at  a  nominal  one  per  cent  a 
month  for  twenty  years.  It  was  pretty  good,  of  course. 
But  think  of  the  boost  Uncle  Sam  gave  us  right  here. 
Let  me  tell  you,  friend  Goldburg,  if  the  legislation 
continues  favorable  to  us,  there  is  no  reason  why  you 
should  not  be  worth  $50,000,000  in  twenty  years. 

We  do  not  intend  to  pay  the  government  one  cent, 
as  long  as  we  can  help  it.  We  will  stand  Uncle  Sam 
off,  ship  in  Chinamen  and  with  cheap  labor  extend  our 
road  just  as  far  as  we  can  find  ground  to  build  on. 
As  we  build  with  cheap  labor  and  make  our  own  prices, 
we  will  be  able  soon  to  not  only  control  the  California 
Legislature,  but  be  well  represented  in  Congress  and 
the  United  States  Senate. 

The  resources  of  this  country  are  vast;  population 
and  wealth  increasing  rapidly,  and  under  the  present 
system  of  legislation  millionaires  will  spring  up  like 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  39 

mushrooms.  In  fact,  I  think  it  a  question  of  but  a  short 
time  when  the  line  of  class  will  be  as  closely  drawn  in 
this  country  as  in  England,  and  even  more  people  will 
be  paying  rent  here  than  there. 

Now  in  conclusion,  let  me  tell  you,  or  as  the  saying 
goes,  let  me  give^you  a  pointer;  watch  John  Sherman 
and  whatever  he  does,  go  thou  and  do  likewise,  and 
you'll  not  miss  it.  The  first  investment  that  I  see  for 
you  out  here,  I  will  write  you  about. 

Respectfully  yours,  LELAND  SANFORD. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

>fN  1865  the  Confederacy  went  to  pieces  and  its  armies 
1  surrendered.  Col.  Bundy  returned  with  his  regi 
ment  all  covered  with  glory.  They  had  been  in  many 
of  the  hardest  fought  battles  of  the  war,  many  had  been 
left  in  southern  graves  and  those  who  returned  bore 
marks  of  hard  service. 

They  were  not  discharged  until  they  reached  Bopeep, 
and  as  they  paraded  the  streets  with  battle-stained 
banners  it  would  be  hard  to  draw  a  picture  that  wonld 
do  justice  to  the  occasion.  Mothers  rushed  forward  to 
greet  their  boys;  wives  to  embrace  their  husbands, 
even  sweethearts  could  not  restrain  their  feelings  but 
rushed  into  a  lover's  arms.  The  Colonel  was  seized 
by  admiring  friends  and  borne  along  the  street.  The 
town  was  thronged  with  people  and  all  went  wild  with 
joy.  Long  tables  were  set  in  the  public  square,  people 
brought  sweet-meats  and  emptied  their  baskets  there 
and  a  more  bountiful  and  joyous  feast  was  probably 
never  set  in  any  land 

The  Colonel  and  wife  stayed  all  night  in  the  city 
with  friends  to  enjoy  the  fireworks,  and  pronounced  it 
a  time  long  to  be  remembered,  The  city  was  illumi 
nated  from  ground  to  garret;  rockets  went  up  from 
every  corner,  and  boys  played  great  havoc  with  the 
fire  crackers.  There  was  music  and  dancing  in  every 
hall,  and  services  until  twelve  in  every  church  with 
singing,  praise  and  thanksgiving. 

On  the  following  day  the  family  returned  to  their 
home  in  the  country.  The  Colonel  was  overjoyed  to 
have  his  little  family  around  him  once  more,  and  it 
seemed  that  nature  was  joining  in  the  general  love 
feast  that  welcomed  the  loved  ones,  for  never  did  the 
sun  seem  to  shine  so  brightly  or  the  birds  sing  so 
sweetly  as  then. 

The  young  people  of   to-day  have  but  little  idea  of 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  4T 

the  warmth  of  feeling,  self-forgetfulness  and  love  that 
seemed  to  pervade  the  very  atmosphere  and  make  the 
American  hearts  beat  when  the  boys  came  home  from 
the  army.  Their  hardships  and  sufferings  had  been 
terrible  but  the  result  glorious. 

The  Union  had^been  preserved,  slavery  destroyed 
and  the  Goddess  of  Liberty  stood  erect,  with  torch  in 
hand  to  enlighten  the  world.  From  east  to  west,  from 
north  to  south,  fathers,  mothers,  brothers,  sisters, 
sweethearts,  friends  all  joined  in  one  fond  embrace  of 
love.  All  selfish  thoughts  and  motives  were  for  the 
moment  lost. 

The  cheerful  voice  sounded  only  in  accents  of  love 
and  the  great  American  heart  beat  with  a  warmth  of 
affection  that  was  broad  as  the  universe  .and  equal  to 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

Liberty  for  the  time  had  been  secured;  our  cause, 
which  was  believed  to  be  just,  was  crowned  with  suc 
cess;  with  one  accord  all  offered  up  thanksgiving,  and, 
now  that  slavery  had  been  destroyed,  they  were  ready 
to  sacrifice  everything  but  honor  to  reconcile  the 
people  of  the  South. 

Such  feeling  of  harmony,  love  and  magnanimity  but 
seldom  permeates  a  whole  people,  as  was  found  among 
the  loyal  legions  of  the  United  States,  and  in  that  we 
have  a  forecast  of  what  a  higher  state  of  civilization 
will  be  when  once  attained. 

But  it  appears  that  these  feelings  could  not  at  that 
time  last.  Treason  and  conspiracy  had  already  made 
their  appearance  in  another  locality.  In  the  first  place 
it  was  capital  invested  in  slaves  that  brought  about  a 
war.  Now  it  was  the  capital  of  Wall  Street,  Boston, 
Philadelphia  and  England  invested  in  gold.  In  John 
Sherman  they  had  found  an  able  tool;  how  much  they 
paid  this  unscrupulous  knave  for  his  services  is  not 
known  to  the  public.  But  none  who  know  his  history 
doubt  his  debauchery,  and  to  cover  his  damnable  acts 
and  keep  himself  and  his  confederates  in  power,  the 
terrible  wounds  of  the  war  had  to  be  torn  open  anew 
at  every  election  and  kept  constantly  before  the  people. 
Thus  while  posing  as  a  patriot  with  a  reputation 


42  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

largely  upon  his  brother's  noble  record  has  he  been 
enabled  to  wreck  the  great  Republic,  and  start  its 
patriotic  citizens  on  the  downward  road  toward  a  worse 
slavery  or  serfdom  than  ever  existed  in  the  South. 
How  strange  it  is  that  a  man  with  such  brilliant 
opportunities  will  preler  darkness  rather  than  light. 

For  several  weeks  the  old  neighbors  flocked  to  Col. 
Bundy's  home;  there  was  scarcely  a  day  but  some 
family  of  old  friends  dropped  in,  and  they  were  all 
plain,  honest  people  like  the  Bundys.  Ladies,  boys 
and  girls  all  helped  to  do  the  work  and  in  this  way 
took  the  load  from  Mrs.  Bundy's  shoulders  and  also 
added  very  materially  to  their  own  opportunities  of 
enjoyment. 

Many  hands  make  light  work  and  the  meals  set  up 
by  Mrs.  Bundy  with  the  assistance  of  her  friends  were 
simply  feasts  and  superior  to  many  a  royal  repast. 
Never,  perhaps,  did  time  pass  more  joyously  than 
during  these  reunions  of  old  neighbors. 

Col.  Bundy  had  a  good  farm,  house  and  lot  in  town, 
and  savings  from  his  salary  while  in  service  which  had 
been  carefully  placed  in  the  bank  from  time  to  time  when 
it  was  received  by  Mrs.  Bundy,  amounted  now  to  over 
$10,000.  With  this  reserve  he  had  no  reason  to  worry 
about  the  future  and  felt  quite  at  ease.  But  while  the 
sheep  are  quietly  slumbering  in  the  shade  the  wolf  is 
on  his  search  for  prey.  So  it  was  with  Col.  Bundy. 
While  he  was  resting  from  his  long  Itfe  of  exposure, 
danger  and  fatigue,  the  gold  speculators  were  carefully 
examining  the  books  to  see  who  had  large  deposits, 
and  to  figure  out  the  best  method  of  using  an  influence 
over  the  parties  that  would  contribute  to  their  own 
net  gain.  Mr.  Goldburg  knew  that  Mr.  Stillwater's 
building  would  soon  be  completed;  that  Mr.  Srillwater 
owed  the  bank  a  large  sum  and  in  grder  to  get  pay 
ment  promptly  it  would  be  well  to  assist  him  in  renting 
the  building  as  soon  as  possible. 

He  also  knew  that  if  he  could  persuade  Col.  Bundy 
to  commence  business  there,  he  could  make  him  a  loan 
of  at  least  $10,000  at  a  good  round  interest,  and  that 
all  pf  the  Colonel's  property  would  be  pledged  for  its 


AN     IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  43 

payment,  and  of  course  a  $10,000  loan  to  a  man  own 
ing  so  much  good  property  was  no  small  object.  In 
view  of  all  these  facts  Mr.  Goldburg  proposed  to  his 
wife  and  daughter  to  visit  Col.  Bundy's  home. 

Nothing  perhaps  could  have  been  more  agreeable  to 
the  ladies,  so  on  the  following  Tuesday  they  were  in 
their  carriage  behind  a  span  of  black  horses,  with 
silver-mounted  harness;  in  fact  there  was  no  one  else 
in  the  place  that  could  afford  so  fine  a  turnout. 

As  they  drove  along  the  quiet  country  road,  nice 
cosy  cottages  were  constantly  coming  in  view,  orchards, 
gardens,  meadows,  pastures,  and  fields  of  grain  came 
in  by  way  of  change;  the  meadow-lark,  perched  upon 
the  highest  objects,  warbled  his  short  musical  sounds, 
which  seemed  to  harmonize  and  blend  beautifully  with 
the  sweet  notes  of  other  singing  birds.  Even  the  hum 
of  insects  seemed  to  add  to  the  genial  pleasure  of  the 
ride,  and  the  ladies  were  carried  away  in  an  ecstacy 
of  joy. 

But  Mr.  Goldburg  was  too  much  interested  in 
another  subject  to  pay  much  attention  to  the  natural 
beauty  of  the  landscape  by  which  he  was  surrounded. 
Since  he  had  become  such  a  complete  devotee  and 
worshipper  of  the  golden  calf,  a  greedy  disposition 
seemed  to  have  taken  possession  of  his  whole  nature 
and  flowers,  birds,  shady  groves  and  happy  homes  were 
all  lost  upon  him. 

On  reaching  the  home  of  their  friends  they  were  met 
at  the  gate  and  made  welcome  by  the  Colonel,  his  wife 
and  daughters.  While  the  ladies  returned  to  the 
cottage,  the  Colonel  and  the  Banker  walked  to  the 
barn,  and  after  showing  the  coachman  where  to  put 
his  horses,  they  joined  the  ladies.  One  of  the  girls 
went  to  the  fields  to  notify  Frank,  who  turned  his 
horses  in  pasture  and  came  to  the  house  to  welcome 
the  visitors  and  particularly  his  little  schoolmate. 
^  The  visit  was  an  enjoyable  one.  After  dinner  Mr. 
Goldburg  proposed  a  drive,  and  Frank  and  the  girls 
arranged  for  a  stroll  in  the  fields  to  gather  berries  and 
wild  flowers. 

The  afternoon  was  pleasant  and  the  drive  delightful 


44  AN   IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

Home-like  cottages  dotted  the  country  everywhere, 
bright  children  played  along  the  road,  fat  cattle  grazed 
on  the  .rich  grass,  plowmen  slowly  followed  their  teams 
across  the  fields  turning  up  the  fresh  black  soil  The 
whole  landscape  in  fact  was  a  picture  of  prosperity. 
While  the  ladies  talked  of  the  general  beauties  of  the 
drive,  Mr.  Goldburg  inquired  of  the  Colonel  what 
business  he  thought  of  engaging  in,  remarking  that  the 
loss  of  his  arm  would  rather  unfit  him  for  farming,  and 
that  the  city  would  give  him  a  better  opportunity  for 
educating  his  children, 

The  Colonel  had  made  no  definite  arrangements  for 
the  future.  Mr.  Goldburg  then  informed  him  that  the 
Stillwater  building  was  about  completed  and  that  there 
would  be  a  fine  chance  for  a  store  in  it,  and  in  his 
opinion,  with  the  popularity  the  Colonel  had,  he  could 
surely  drive  a  thriving  trade.  The  Colonel  said  that 
he  would  think  the  matter  over,  and  as  they  were 
nearing  home  the  subject  was  dropped. 

Before  leaving  Mr.  Goldburg  pressed  upon  the 
Colonel  a  warm  invitation  to  come  with  his  family  and 
stay  over  night  and  they  would  talk  over  the  store 
proposition,  and  if  the  Colgnel  needed  any  assistance 
he  would  see  to  it  that  there  should  be  no  lack  of  funds. 
Rebecca  who  was  in  the  yard  with  the  other  children, 
was  now  called,  and  after  an  exchange  of  "Come  and 
see  me's"  and  a  good  bye  shake  with  Mrs.  Bundy  and 
the  Colonel,  allowed  Frank  to  help  her  into  the 
carriage. 

A  few  days  after  this  the  Colonel  was  in  town  and 
called  at  the  bank.  Mr.  Goldburg  received  him  with 
cordiality  and  after  a  short  conversation  in  which  the 
banker  brought  up  the  store  proposition  and  showed 
it  up  in  its  most  favorable  light,  they  took  a  walk  for 
the  purpose  of  seeing  the  building. 

Mr.  Goldburg  had  calculated  on  the  amount  of 
money  that  would  be  required  to  fill  the  room  and 
accommodate  the  trade  and  estimated  it  $20,000.  He 
kindly  offered  to  furnish  the  Colonel  with  what  money 
he  would  need  at  a  very  reasonable  interest, 

"What  interest  will  vou  expect?  " 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC,  45 

O,  we  usually  get  10  per  cent,  but  in  your  case  of 
course  we  will  make  it  light,  and,  well,  we  will  say  8 
per  cent. 

"That,"  said  the  Colonel,  "will  be  $800  a  year. 
What  interest  do  you  pay  the  government  for  this 
money?  " 

"O,  the  government  charges  us  no  interest,  it  is  pay 
ing  us  interest  in  gold  semi-annually  on  our  whole 
investment.  You  see  if  a  man  is  lucky  enough  to  own 
bonds  the  government  not  only  pays  him  his  interest 
in  gold,  but  of  the  $100,000  that  we  paid  Cor  the  bonds 
it  gives  us  $90,000  back  to  loan  out  among  our 
neighbors." 

"Then,"  said  the  Colonel,  "when  you  have  the  whole 
$90,000  loaned  at  eight  per  cent  you  will  realize  on 
interest,  on  money  that  belongs  to  the  government, 
some  $7,200.  This  is  clear  gain,  instead  of  the  gov 
ernment  taxing  the  banks  it  is  the  banks  taxing  the 
government  on  one  hand  and  the  people  on  the  other. 
It  seems  to  me  that  the  government  would  do  well  to 
loan  this  money  itself  and  save  the  interest;  in  the 
whole  United  States  it  would  amount  to  enough  to 
pension  the  soldiers  both  north  and  south." 

But  the  banker  did  not  care  to  continue  this  argu 
ment,  so  it  was  finally  settled  that  the  Colonel  would 
take  the  matter  of  business  under  further  consideration 
for  a  few  days  and  that  he  would  drop  in  again  in  a 
short  time. 

The  question  now  came  before  the  Bundy  family,  and 
as  everything  seemed  to  favor  the  proposition,  the 
Colonel  decided  to  commence  at  once.  He  took  a 
lease  on  the  building  and  employed  an  expert  book 
keeper  and  manager. 

Mr.  Goldburg  accompanied  them  to  the  city  and 
introduced  the  Colonel  to  some  of  the  most  prominent 
business  men  of  New  York. 

The  goods  were  soon  ordered,  and  when  they  were 
on  the  shelves  and  everything  nicely  arranged,  it  was 
decided  that  it  was  the  best  and  showiest  store  in 
the  town. 

The   Colonel's  cards  were  soon  scattered  among  his 


46  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

old  friends   and  they  began  to  drop  in,  and  in  a  short 
time  he  was  doing  the  best  business  in  the  city. 

One  year  from  this  time,  April  i,  1866,  the  Colonel 
took  stock,  balanced  his  books  and  found  that  his  net 
gain  for  the  year  was  over  $3,000.  This  was  indeed 
encouraging.  His  stock  was  all  new,  and  in  the  best 
condition.  Money  was  plenty  and  everybody  busy. 
It  is  a  coincidence  well  worth  noting  that  never  in  the 
history  of  the  United  States  have  the  people  enjoyed 
such  a  wonderful  degree  of  prosperity  as  at  this  time, 
when  the  iron  chains  by  which  Shylock  held  the 
people  in  financial  bondage,  had  by  the  greed, 
cowardice  and  want  of  patriotism  on  the  part  of  the 
bankers  had  been  temporarily  severed,  and  the  govern 
ment  without  Shylock's  consent  had  become  so  bold  as 
to  issue  an  abundance  of  money  that  bankers  could  not 
entirely  control.  Hence  the  contraction  act  became  a 
necessity  to  the  nobility,  and  all  the  bankers  and 
bondholders,  aristocrats,  money-changers  and  gold- 
gamblers  of  the  civilized  world  united  in  one  common 
brotherhood  to  rob  the  American  people  of  the  good 
conditions  and  the  prosperity  that  evolution  had 
brought  about.  As  these  fiends  of  hell,  paupers,  who 
had  lived  for  years  from  the  earnings  of  others,  had  by 
usury,  trickery,  bribery,  class  legislation  and  fraud 
secured  possession  of  all  the  gold  on  earth,  they  wished 
through  it  to  control  the  business  of  the  world,  as  they 
had  done  for  ages. 

While  the  people  of  the  United  States  had  plenty  of 
legal  tender  greenbacks  that  would  pay  debts,  taxes, 
buy  goods,  in  fact  do  anything  that  money  can  do, 
even  buy  gold  if  it  was  necessary,  their  gold  would 
remain  in  the  vaults  uncalled  for,  hence  it  would 
become  necessary  to  destroy  the  greenbacks  and  base 
all  values  on  gold.  Why  base  on  gold?  Because  the 
Shylocks  had  all  the  gold  stored  up  in  their  vaults  and 
it  would  have  remained  out  of  use  without  legislation 
in  its  favor,  and  been  valuable  in  the  United  States 
only  as  a  commodity.  And  how  base  on  gold?  Simply 
by  making  gold  a  legal  tender,  destroying  all  other 
legal  tender  money,  and  make  all  debts,  both  public 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC  47 

and  private,  payable  only  in  gold  and  ttuj  job  is  done. 
Easy,  is  it  not,  and  simple?  Any  man  can  understand 
that  if  he  has  to  have  gold  to  pay  taxes,  to  pay  notes, 
and  to  buy  the  necessaries  of  of  life  and  Shylock  owns 
the  gold,  that  he  has  a  one  sided  deal  on  hand,  for  gold 
he  must  have^the  law  demands  it.  Shylock  then  says 
that  money  is  scarce;  give  me  your  wheat  for  fifty 
cents  a  bushel,  your  cotton  for  five  cents  a  pound,  and 
if  you  do  not  have  money  enough  to  pay  your  taxes 
and  keep  your  family  clothed,  we  will  lend  you  money 
at  a  good  round  interest  and  take  a  mortgage  on  your 
farm.  If  you  can't  afford  to  pay  your  help  good  wages 
you  can  make  them  work  for  what  they  can  eat,  for 
eat  they  must. 

They  would  have  us  believe  that  no  one  but  a  Sher 
man  or  a  banker  can  understand  these  things,  .but  we 
all  know  that  when  we  had  plenty  of  legal  tender 
greenbacks  we  did  not  need  gold,  and  as  the  bankers 
have  the  gold,  why  not  let  them  keep  it.  We  do  not 
want  it.  We  do  not  need  it,  and  the  sooner  we 
demonetize  gold  the  sooner  we  will  destroy  the  money 
power  and  burst  the  shackles  from  65,000,000  of 
financial  slaves. 

When  there  were  plenty  of  legal  tender  greenbacks 
in  circulation  there  were  good  times  throughout  the 
whole  country;  as  fast  as  they  were  withdrawn,  we 
returned  to  gold  panics,  bank  failures,  low  prices, 
want  and  enforced  idleness.  And  the  wise  statesman 
tells  us  that  it  is  over  production.  What  a  fertile  brain 
it  must  have  taken  to  make  such  a  discovery! 

Think  of  it,  people  starving  because  crops  are  too 
good!  (What  a  blessed  thing  it  would  be  to  have  a 
famine),  and  people  going  poorly  clad  because  there 
has  been  such  an  over-production  of  clothing — bosh. 

While  the  wise  men  of  the  United  States  are  giving 
the  people  taffy  in  the  shape  of  over  production,  the 
wise  men  of  Britain  tell  of  the  wonderful  blessings 
that  come  from  paying  interest  on  a  government  debt, 
"A  government  debt  is  a  government  blessing." 

While  Col.   Bundy  was  making  up  his   yearly  state- 


48  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

ment,  the  combined  powers  of  darkness  had  their 
representatives  at  Washington  backed  by  money  un 
limited.  Their  object  was  to  destroy  liberty  and  build 
up  a  class  to  destroy  American  money  by  redeeming  it 
with  interest  bearing  bonds  and  compel  the  American 
people  to  borrow  gold  from  foreign  syndicates  to  take 
the  place  of  the  greenbacks  that  were  to  be  destroyed 
by  act  of  Congress.  April  12,  1866,  marks  the  period 
when  the  work  of  this  black  and  damnable  conspiracy 
was  consummated  and  culminated  in  the  passage  of 
the  contraction  act  which  kindled  the  fire  to  destroy 
the  money.  Just  what  it  cost  the  gold  power  to  get 
this  act  through  Congress  will  never  be  known  to  the 
public,  but  the  baneful  effect  it  had  upon  the  country 
can  be  attested  by  thousands  of  well  to  do  farmers  and 
business  men  who  were  squeezed  out  and  forced  into 
the  street. 

At  the  time  of  the  passage  of  this  act  money  was 
plenty;  everyone  found  work  and  the  outlook  for  the 
future  had  never  been  brighter;  but  the  first  year  after 
the  universal  destruction  of  American  money  com 
menced,  the  American  press  was  called  upon  to  make 
record  of  2,386  business  failures,  with  an  actual  loss 
of  $86,000,000. 

For  ten  vears  this  contraction  continued,  and  the 
yearly  failures  increased  until  1876,  when  $85,000,000 
of  the  American  monev  had  been  destroyed  and  the 
annual  failures  reached  the  enormous  sum  oi  10,000, 
with  an  aggregate  loss  of  $300,000,000.  Search  the 
annals  of  time  if  you  will,  but  the  ringer  of  the  past 
will  point  to  no  robbery  of  such  magnitude  being 
carried  out  by  civil  legislation;  yet  while  it  was  going 
on  politicians,  urged  on  by  the  gold  power,  were  cry 
ing,  over-production,  as  an  excuse  for  national  distress 
and  tearing  open  anew  the  wounds  of  the  late  war  to 
detract  public  attention  from  the  real  danger. 

During  the  first  year  of  contraction  goods  through 
out  the  United  States  decreased  in  value  continually, 
and  when  Col.  Bundy  took  stock  at  the  end  of  the  year 
he  found  that  he  had  the  same  amount  of  goods  on 
hand,  but  their  value  had  decreased  twenty  per  cent, 


AN   IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  49 

which  amounted  to  $4,000.  This  reduced  cash  value 
to  $16,000;  trade,  in  consequence  of  the  destruction, 
had  dropped  off  and  his  profits  had  barely  covered 
his  expenses. 

The  year  before  he  had  paid  the  bank  $3,000.  The 
debt  it  will  be  remembered  was  $10,000,  interest  $800, 
credit  $3,000;  balance  due  the  bank  $7,800.  This  year 
he  could  pay  nothing,  so  he  gave  a  note,  as  follows: 
Debt  of  last  year  $7,800,  interest  $624;  total  settled 
by  note  to  bank  $8,424. 

The  Colonel  had  listened  to  political  talk  about 
over-production  that  John  Sherman  had  put  into  the 
mouths  of  his  followers.  He  had  read  column  after 
column  of  stupefying  twaddle  and  far-fetched  argu 
ments  dished  up  to  order  by  and  for  a  subsidized 
press,  and  it  had  not  occurred  to  him  that  one  of  the 
grandest  swindles  that  ever  disgraced  the  annals  of 
time  was  being  daily  and  hourly  systematically 
carried  out. 

As  time  passed  on  everything  continued  to  fall  in 
value  and  the  country  witnessed  for  the  year,  2,608 
business  failures,  representing  a  loss  to  creditors  of 
$63,774,000  and  $473,000,000  of  money  had  been 
destroyed. 

At  the  end  of  that  year  Col.  Bundy  found  that  his 
stock  had  been  increased  a  little,  but  its  cash  value 
had  actually  gone  down  to  $14,000,  and  being  unable 
tc  settle  his  bank  note  he  was  forced  to  renew  it,  as 
follows:  Old  note  $8,472,  interest  $674,  new  note  to 
bank  $9,089.  The  note  was  signed,  and  once  more 
the  Colonel  hoped  to  succeed,  but  this  year  was  only 
another  of  contraction,  and  again  the  books  showed  a 
loss  on  the  same  goods.  The  failures  reached  in  the 
United  Staets  3,551.  The  contraction  law  continued 
to  grind,  and  the  following  year  produced  2,915  busi 
ness  failures,  and  still  the  following  year  4,069. 

The  Colonel  saw  with  a  sad  heart  his  goods  con 
stantly  decreasing  in  value.  He  had  been  careful  in 
his  management  of  the  stock,  his  trade  had  even  been 
better  than  other  merchants  of  the  same  city,  he  had 


5O  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

done  a  cash  business,  but  the  trouble  was,  that  to-day 
it  would  take  double  the  amount  of  goods  to  pay  his 
debts  that  it  would  four  years  ago.  "No  wonder. " 
said  he,  "that  there  are  over  4,000  business  failures  in 
the  United  States  this  year. " 

His  own  stock  was  to-day  about  the  same  in  quality 
and  quantity  as  when  he  commenced  four  years  before; 
then  it  cost  him  cash  $20,000,  to-day  it  was  worth 
less  than  $13,000.  "This,"  said  he,  "is  contraction. 
I  will  have  to  sell  my  entire  stock  to  pay  the  bank, 
and  if  I  let  it  run  four  more  years  and  contraction 
continues  it  will  take  my  store,  farm,  town  property, 
and  everything  else  to  pay  the  $10,000  I  borrowed 
from  the  bank,  and  still  I  paid  $3,000  on  it  the  first 
year.  Several  other  merchants  of  the  place  have  been 
forced  into  bankruptcy  and  I  think  it  about  time  to 
call  a  halt." 

Alter  making  up  his  mind  fully  what  course  it  would 
be  best  for  him  to  pursue  he  saw  Mr.  Goldburg,  the 
banker,  explained  his  situation  and  stated  his  fears  for 
the  future. 

"You  have,"  said  the  banker,  "about  $13,000  worth 
of  goods  in  the  store  at  present  prices.  Your  note 
now  amounts  to  something  over  $10,000,  the  goods 
can  hardly  be  considered  good  security  now  for  that 
amount,  especially  with  constantly  declining  prices. 
We  have  been  considering  your  case  and  are  of  the 
opinion  that  you  will  pull  through  all  right,  in  fact  it 
has  been  our  intention  from  the  first  to  pull  you 
through.  So  far  as  I  am  concerned  personally,  your 
note  would  be  good  for  any  amount  of  money,  but  the 
bank  has  rules  you  see  that  must  be  observed,  and 
'when  a  man  complies  with  the  rules,  it  establishes 
confidence  and  his  credit  will  be  good  and  so  capital. 
By  giving  a  mortgage  on  your  farm  in  addition  to  the 
store  it  will  strengthen  your  credit  beyond  all  question 
and  with  good  credit  you  will  be  able  to  keep  up  your 
stock,  and  as  others  go  out  of  business  and  fail,  your 
business  will  be  increased.'' 

"Yes,"  said  the  Colonel,  "but  four  year  ago  I  was 
doing  business  on  an  investment  of  $20,000,  and  pay- 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  51 

ing  interest  on  one-half  of  my  entire  capital,  while 
now  I  am  doing  business  on  a  $13,000  capital,  a  de 
clining  market,  and  paying  interest  on  over  three- 
fourths  of  my  entire  capital.  Had  I  four  years  ago 
taken  my  $10,000  of  greenbacks  and  locked  them  up 
without  interest}-  they  would  to-day  come  very  near 
buying  tha  same  goods  that  I  paid  $20,000  for  at  that 
time.  Had  I  at  that  time  invested  my  $10,000  of 
greenbacks  in  government  bonds,  drawn  my  interest  in 
gold  every  six  months,  converted  the  gold  into  green 
backs  and  again  into  bonds,  I  would  have  money 
enough  to-day  to  buy  the  same  amount  of  goods  and  a 
few  thousand  dollars  to  loan  to  my  neighbors,  But 
suppose  I  had  done  as  bankers  do,  deposited  my 
government  bonds  with  the  government  and  received 
in  return  ninety  per  cent  in  national  bank  notes;  and 
loaned  the  ninety  per  cent  out  as  you  do  at  eight  per 
cent,  add  the  interest  on  the  $9,000  to  the  gold 
interest,  where  would  I  be? 

"To-day  my  bonds  and  interest  would  amount  to 
$16,000,  and  during  the  same  period  with  all  the  rush 
and  push  that  I  possess  in  an  active  business  I  nave 
been  compelled  to  witness  my  own  little  fortune,  which 
was  the  hard  earnings  of  four  years'  service  upon  the 
battle  field  and  in  the  sickly  swamps  o;  the  south, 
dwindle  away  and  pass  into  the  pockets  and  vaults  of 
the  men  who  deal  in  gold. 

"What  encouragement  then  to  mortgage  other 
property,  this  contraction  law  is  still  in  force,  its 
object  has  been  plainly  demonstrated.  By  destroying 
our  American  money  the  people  are  forced  to  borrow 
Wall  Street  or  British  gold  to  carry  on  business  with 
and  the  interest  which  goes  largely  into  the  hands  of 
foreign  capitalists  is  eating  up  the  profits  and  destroy 
ing  every  industry.  As  money  becomes  scarce  every 
thing  decreases  in  value,  and  day  by  day  our  business 
men  are  forced  out  of  business,  over  4,000  failures  in 
the  last  year.  In  fact  I  see  no  way,  no  hope,  except 
to  sell  what  I  have,  pay  up  and  get  out  of  business. 
It  is  hard  to  lose  what  I  have  invested  but  it  will  be 
worse  to  continue  on  in  this  way  and  lose  my  home. " 


52  AM  IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

"O, "  said  the  banker,  "you  should  not  look  on  the 
dark  side  of  the  subject,  Colonel.  We  must  hope  for 
better  times  when  resumption  is  reached."  But  the 
Colonel  insisted  that  he  could  see  no  benefit  to  come 
from  the  resumption  of  specie  payment  except  to  the 
men  who  own  the  g6ld  and  silver.  Mr.  Goldburg  knew 
that  if  the  store  was  closed  out  when  times  were  so  hard 
the  goods  would  not  pay  the  debt  and  he  was  a  little 
doubtful  about  selling  the  Colonel's  other  property 
without  injuring  the  reputation  of  the  bank,  so  he 
offered  the  Colonel  $1,000  and  return  his  note.  The 
Colonel  would  be  losing  about  $2,000  on  present  invoice 
but  still  he  felt  that  it  was  the  best  that  he-tould  do, 
for  no  one  seemed  to  have  any  money  but  the  bankers 
and  money-changers.  Mr.  Goldburg  wanted  him  to 
continue  right  on  in  charge  of  the  store  on  a  salary. 
As  this  proposition  seemed  better  than  bankruptcy  it 
was  accepted  and  Col.  Bundy  went  out  of  business, 
another  victim  of  British  gold-bug  legislation. 

A  few  days  after  goods  were  transferred,  suit  was 
commenced  against  Mr.  Stillwater  and  the  building 
was  finally  ordered  sold,  but  money  was  so  extremely 
scarce  that  no  bids  were  made  and  it  was  transferred 
to  the  bank  to  satisfy  the  mortgage.  Mr.  Stillwater 
had  lost  on  the  enterprise  over  $20,000  and  was  an 
other  victim  to  the  same  law,  that  with  John  Sherman's 
assistance  had  been  lobbied  through  Congress  in  the 
interest  of  England  and  Wall  Street  bankers. 

In  justification  of  these  unfortunate  individuals  in 
point  of  business  capacity  it  might  be  here  noted  that 
during  the  ten  years  that  contraction  was  doing  its 
work  of  destroying  American  money,  there  were  in  the 
United  States  4,617  business  failures  similar  to  that  of 
Col.  Bundy's  and  Mr.  Stillwater's,  and  that  a  loss  had 
been  sustained  by  our  people  of  not  only  millions  but 
billions  and  even  more. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

AFTER  Col.  Bundy  moved  to  the  city,  Frank,  who 
was  then  in  his  nineteenth  year,  commenced 
going  to  school  again;  for  three  years  he  attended  the 
city  school  preparatory  to  taking  a  collegiate  course 
but  on  the  decline  of  his  father's  financial  affairs  he 
determined  to  learn  a  trade,  and  being  of  powerful 
muscle  he  decided  to  work  in  iron  and  was  not  long  in 
getting  a  place.  The  shop  where  he  commenced  work 
was  at  that  time  considered  to  be  quite  an  extensive 
one,  and  Frank  was  so  quick  to  learn  that  in  a  few 
months  he  was  getting  journeyman's  wages. 

He  had  during  all  this  time  continued  to  live  at 
home  and  the  warm  friendship  that  so  early  sprang  up 
between  him  aud  Rebecca  had  ripened  into  love,  and 
now  that  he  was  making  a  little  money  for  himself  they 
often  talked  of  future  plans  and  even  had  a  place 
picked  out  where  he  would  buy  a  lot  and  build  a  home. 
It  was  to  be  small,  but  neat,  and  the  yard  would  be  a 
garden  of  roses.  All  cost  was  carefully  figured  and 
was  .  to  come  within  Frank's  earnings,  for  each  had 
strong  suspicions  that  Mr.  Goldburg  would  oppose  the 
match  now  that  the  boy  was  poor.  In  fact  after  Frank 
went  to  learn  a  trade  Mr.  Goldburg  had  treated  him 
with  marked  indifference. 

This  finally  became  so  marked  that  Rebecca  preferred 
to  meet  her  lover  at  his  father's  house.  This  con 
tinued  for  some  time  until  about  one  year  after  Frank 
had  commenced  work  in  the  shop,  and  soon  after  the 
Colonel  had  turned  the  store  over  to  the  bank,  Mr. 
Goldburg  summoned  his  daughter  to  his  presence. 


54  AN   IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

He  was  in  his  sitting  room  which  was  furnished  in  the 
height  of  elegance,  and  as  Rebecca  approached  he 
motioned  her  to  a  seat. 

"Rebecca,"  said  he,  speaking  in  a  stern  voice,  "I  am 
sorry  to  see  this  warm  feeling  that  seems  to  exist 
between  you  and  young  Mr.  Bundy.  You  certainly 
must  know  that  it  can  never  come  to  anything  good  so 
why  persist  in  giving  way  to  such  a  feeling?" 

These  last  words  were  said  in  rather  a  pleading 
voice  and  touched  Rebecca's  feelings.  She  paused  for 
a  moment  and  then  said,  "Father,  why  are  you  so 
opposed  to  Mr.  Bundy?  You  used  to  speak  of  him  as 
one  of  the  brightest  and  most  promising  boys  in  the 
whole  country,  why  do  you  so  dislike  him  now?" 

"Mr.  Bundy,"  said  her  father,  "is  bright  enough  of 
course,  but  he  belongs  to  a  different  class  from  yours. 
There  is  a  circle  of  society  forming  in  this  country 
which  is  as  distinct  from  the  lower  class  as  are  the 
noblemen  of  Britain.  This  now  is  a  period  of  money 
getting.  The  moneyed  men  and  bankers  of  this  coun 
try  are  fully  organized.  Our  society  is  well  repre 
sented  in  the  legislative  halls  of  the  country.  The 
financiers  of  to-day  are  the  greatest  the  world  has  ever 
known.  By  a  single  act  of  Congress  they  throw 
millions  upon  millions  of  dollars  from  the  pockets  of 
the  masses  to  the  vaults  of  the  gold  dominating  class 
and  make  it  appear  quite  smooth." 

"What  is  a  financier,  papa?" 

"A  financier,  daughter,  is  a  man  who  gives  his  every 
thought  and  bends  every  effort  of  his  nature  and  soul 
to  the  concentration  of  large  capital  and  wealth  in  the 
hands  of  a  few  individuals  by  the  use  of  money.  The 
methods  of  doing  this  are  various.  Usury  or  interest 
is  our  grand  factor;  it  is  like  a  cancer,  eats  slowly  but 
surely,  is  certain  in  its  results  and  downs  its  victim 
with  unerring  precision.  But  men  do  not  always  take 
readily  to  borrowing  money,  it  therefore  becomes 
necessary  to  use  compulsion  and  this  is  done  by  con 
trolling  legislation.  By  inducing  the  government  to 
destroy  the  national  money  called  greenbacks  the 
people  are  compelled  to  borrow  gold  and  silver  from 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  55 

the  banks  to  do  business  with.  Then  in  the  course  of 
time,  when  all  the  banks  have  succeeded  in  getting  all 
the  gold  in  their  vaults  and  the  silver  out  among  the 
people,  they  will  bring  a  pressure  to  bear  upon  Con 
gress  through  a  subsidized  press,  bribery  and  a  promise 
of  support  for  office  compel  them  to  demonetize  silver, 
and  by  this  destroy  its  debt  paying  qualities,  and  thus 
compel  the  people  to  go  to  the  banks  and  borrow  gold. 

"Of  course  anybody  can  understand  these  things. 
When  properly  explained  it  is  as  easy  as  a  b  c,  but  it 
requires  a  financier  to  explain  it  in  such  a  way  that 
the  moneyed  men  will  know  it  to  be  money  in  their 
pockets  and  the  people  will  think  it  is  the  only  thing 
on  earth  that  will  save  them  from  everlasting  ruin. 

"He  wants  to  be  capable  of  mixing  things  up  in  such 
a  way  that  no  one  can  understand,  in  fact  get  it  in 
such  a  tangle  that  with  all  his  millions,  all  his  great 
knowledge  of  finance  he  is  forced  to  admit  that  the 
critical  situation  is  actually  beyond  comprehension  and 
he  hardly  knows  what  would  be  best  for  the  working 
classes,  and  at  the  same  time  have  every  man  he  can 
influence  in  a  quiet  way,  with  money  or  not,  crying 
out  from  street  corners  such  old  familiar  chestnuts  as, 
over-production,  tariff,  protect  labor,  reform,  honest 
money,  a  government  debt  is  a  government  blessing. 
Have  every  paper  in  the  country  paid  for  using  these 
wonderful  truths  as  headlines  to  column  upon  column 
of  figures  that  would  swamp  an  astronomer,  and  while 
all  this  clatter  is  going  on,  make  the  wonderful  dis 
covery  that  the  whole  trouble  is  caused  by  want  of 
confidence,  and  this  confidence  must  be  restored  by 
destroying  government  money,  called  greenbacks,  and 
compel  the  people  to  borrow  bank  bills  to  do  business 
with.  Next  comes  the  cry  of  over-production  of  silver 
and  a  want  of  confidence  on  the  part  of  bankers.  Of 
course  confidence  must  be  restored  again  and  the  only 
way  to  do  that  this  time  is  to  demonetize  silver  and 
compel  people  to  borrow  gold  from  the  banks  to  take 
the  place  of  the  silver.  Silver  then  goes  down  to 
nothing.  Bankers  buy  it  up,  and  when  it  is  all  in  the 
hands  of  the  money  power,  and  the  gold  all  loaned  out, 


56  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

a  false  alarm  is  started  about  the  over-production  of 
gold,  and  gold  is  demonetized,  as  it  was  in  1850  by 
Belgium  and  Germany.  When  this  occurs  silver  will 
be  in  the  hands  of  the  bankers,  the  mines  all  dead  and 
people  will  have  to  borrow  silver  to  pay  their  debts; 
all  done  to  restore  confidence.  Gold  like  silver  when 
it  is  demonetized  will  go  down  to  nothing  and  bankers 
will  buy  it  up  for  a  mere  song.  You  see  this  gold 
game  beats  the  Louisiana  lottery,  for  in  the  one  case 
a  man  plays  or  not,  just  as  he  pleases,  but  in  the  other 
the  whole  country  is  robbed  whether  they  will  or  riot. 

"So  you  see  a  financier  must  be  a  man  without  a 
conscience,  with  no  scruples  whatever;  he  must  be 
capable  of  exacting  the  last  farthing  from  the  poor 
widow;  he  must  be  honest  beyond  doubt,  and  do 
everything  he  agrees  to  do,  but  never  do  anything  that 
does  not,  in  some  way,  redound  to  his  own  profit.  He 
must  also  be  worth  millions,  no  matter  how  he  gets  it 
for  it  is  an  evidence  of  financial  ability.  But  above  all 
things  and  in  short  he  must  be  master  of  the  art  of 
controlling  the  world  by  controlling  its  currency. 

"It  is  generally  admitted  among  bankers  that  John 
Sherman  is  the  greatest  financier  that  ever  lived.  In 
his  natural  organism  he  seems  to  have  every  requisite. 

"Our  mortgage  system  is  one  of  the  greatest  methods 
of  modern  times.  It  is  complete  in  its  operation,  and 
by  it  we  are  obtaining  titles  to  land  all  over  the  United 
States.  In  fact  it  looks  as  though  one-half  the  farmers 
would  be  paying  rent  by  the  time  the  greenbacks  have 
all  been  destroyed,  and  we  seem  to  obtain  titles  to 
these  lands  with  hardly  an  effort. 

"The  joint  incorporative  system,  too,  is  wonderful  in 
its  workings,  and  is  being  more  thoroughly  systema 
tized  every  day.  By  its  use  we  are  enabled  to  own 
and  operate  all  the  business  of  the  country  and  never 
leave  our  homes  The  men  who  operate  the  railroads 
do  not  own  them.  The  men  who  own  them,  in  many 
cases,  never  see  them;  and  it  is  so  with  all  kinds  of 
business. 

"In  a  few  years  the  property  will  all  be  in  the  hands 
of  a  few,  and  all  the  business  of  the  country  will  be 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  57 

done  by  joint  stock  incorporated  companies. 

"The  poor  will  be  given  work,  and  will  of  course  be 
contented.  Some  who  have  more  ambition  than,  others 
will  be  given  p.'aces  of  more  importance  and  greater 
responsibility.  This  'will  satisfy  their  ambition  and 
they  will  be  content  to  have  opportunity  and  power  to 
dominate  their  fellow  men,  and  in  this  way  we  will 
own  the  whole  mass.  We  will  have  slaves  by  the 
million  without  the  trouble  of  caring  for  them.  Our 
great  republic,  we  believe,  is  destined  to  solve  the 
problem  as  to  how  the  few  can  rule  the  many  without 
themselves  being  ruled  by  a  king. 

"The  time  is  not  far  off  when  the  nobility  of  the 
United  States  will  materialize  and  in  secret  conven 
tions  assembled,  take  unto  themselves  titles,  according 
to  their  wealth.  A  secret  society  will  be  formed  duly 
protected  by  grips,  signs,  passwords,  etc.,  and  it  will 
be  known  as  the  Noble  Knights  of  America.  Its  mem 
bers  will  be  given  titles  according  to  their  social  posi 
tion.  The  society  will  be  divided  into  three  degrees 
or  chapters  as  follows:  The  first  chapter  will  consist 
of  all  persons  in  the  United  States  who  wish  to  join, 
that  are  worth  property  to  the  extent  of  $100,000. 
The  second  chapter  will  consist  of  persons  who  are 
worth  above  $1,000,000.  The  third  chapter  to  consist 
of  persons  who  are  worth  above  $10,000,000.  All 
business  of  a  political  nature  to  be  transacted  in  the 
first  chapter.  Members  of  the  higher  degrees  will  be 
also  members  of  the  first  chapter. 

"There  will  be  a  committee  elected  whose  duty  it 
shall  be  to  receive  correspondence  from  members  in  all 
parts  of  the  country  and  report  such  as  is  considered 
important,  to  each  regular  meeting  and  it  shall  be 
through  this  committee  that  all  money  is  to  be  dis 
tributed  for  election  purposes  and  buying  and  suppress 
ing  such  small  newspapers  as  may  be  considered 
dangerous.  As  the  owners  of  all  the  large  papers  will 
be  members,  their  interest  will  be  with  the  Nobility. 
It  shall  also  be  the  duty  of  this  committee  to  look  to 
it  that  every  convention  is  controlled  to  that  end,  that 
no  person  receives  a  nomination  tor  any  legislative 


58  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

office  that  is  not  a  member,  a  tool  or  in  sympathy  with 
this  society. 

"Two  months  prior  to  each  session  of  Congress  there 
will  be  held  a  general  legislative  conference  consisting 
of  all  the  first  chapter  and  representatives  of  the  other 
two  chapters  to  decide  on  what  legislation  is  needed, 
appoint  a  committee  to  demand  the  same,  and  also 
to  make  an  appropriation  of  money  to  secure  this  end. 

"When  this  organization  shall  have  been  completed 
and  fully  installed  we  will  have  the  strongest  govern 
ment  on  the  face  of  earth.  A  solid  republic  with  an 
aristocracy  standing  back  of  it  that  is  the  wealthiest 
that  the  world  has  ever  known.  The  doctrine  of  self 
or  popular  government  will  have  then  reached  its 
zenith,  and  the  people  will  be  contented  under  the 
wise  administrations  thus  brought  about.  Besides  the 
concentration  of  wealth  in  the  hands  of  a  society  like 
this,  and  millions  of  poor  to  fill  the  army,  will  make 
nations  tremble. 

"The  society  will  elect  their  own  president,  or  control 
the  one  who  is  elected  much  easier  than  they  do  now. 
They  will  control  the  legislation,  and  with  the  army 
and  navy,  in  this  day  of  electricity,  a  successful  revo 
lution  will  'be  as  impossible,  as  it  would  be  in  China 
or  Japan,  and  our  country  will  be  ruled  without  a  jar 
or  discord.  The  poorer  the  people  become  the  more 
submissive  they  will  be. 

"With  all  these  prospects  before  us  it  would  be  sheer 
madness  for  you  to  marry  one  who  has  already  taken 
his  place  among  the  lower  classes.  You  have  had 
opportunities  of  marrying  millions;  why  should  you 
make  yourself  a  slave? 

"That  is  all  now,  dearest,  go  and  do  what  you  will 
but  banish  all  thoughts  of  this  fellow  from  your  mind." 

As  he  said  this  he  arose  to  leave  the  room. 

"Wait  one  moment,  father,"  said  Rebecca  with  a 
voice  full  of  emotion,  "let  me  say  one  word." 

"No,"  said  her  father  turning  half  round  as  he 
passed  out  of  the  door,  "we  cannot  argue  this  question, 
you  must  forget  that  man." 

Rebecca   saw   the  door  shut  with  a  heavy  jar  as  her 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  59 

father  disappeared.  She  stood  for  a  moment  as  one 
entranced,  her  hands  clasped,  her  face  turned  upward, 
as  if  to  implore  the  sympathy  of  angels,  then  sank 
heavily  into  a  chair  from  which  she  had  arisen. 

This,  the  most  terrible  of  all  blows,  had  not  come 
to  Rebecca  entirely  unexpected.  For  days,  weeks, 
even  months  she  had  thought,  dreamed  and  dreaded 
this  meeting,  and  now  that  it  had  passed  she  was  left, 
as  it  were,  standing  for  the  time  between  hope  and 
despair. 

The  love  for  her  father  was  strong  but  had  been 
weakened  by  his  neglect,  for  in  cultivating  greed  he 
had  trampled  love  beneath  his  feet  and  become  a 
stranger  to  its  domain. 

On  the  other  hand  her  heart-strings  had  been  kept 
at  their  greatest  tension,  by  sweet  words  in  accents 
mild,  gentle  smiles  and  such  looks  as  love  only  knows 
and  understands.  She  had  walked,  talked  and  listened 
to  dreams  of  eternal  love  and  happiness.  She  had 
wandered  through  gardens,  gathered  flowers,  made 
bouquets  to  adorn  the  table  of  the  one  she  loved  and 
in  each  leaf  that  grew  upon  those  stems  she  read  their 
future  fortunes.  And  now  that  the  long  looked  for 
stroke  had  come,  she  was  almost  paralyze  d.  Thoughts 
crowded  thick  and  fast,  one  upon  another,  and  she  at 
last  gave  away  to  weeping,  but  when  these  paroxysms 
of  grief  had  passed  away  she  arose  as  calm  as  a  May 
morning,  went  to  her  chamber,  knelt  at  her  usual  place 
and  prayed  as  she  had  never  prayed  before. 

"O,  Thou  great  and  ever  living  God,  who  holds  the 
destiny  of  nations  in  thy  hands;  Thou  who  hath  for 
centuries  stored  Thy  great  blessings  on  and  in  the 
earth  for  man's  future  consumption  and  good,  gold, 
silver,  iron,  copper  all  contribute  to  man's  wants. 
The  earth's  surface,  too,  at  the  touch  of  man's  industry, 
blooms  and  blossoms  as  the  rose  and  brings  forth  an 
abundance  of  life  sustaining  food.  All  these  things 
hast  Thou  given  for  Thy  children's  greatest  good  and 
comfort,  and  wilt  Thou  not  now  look  with  Thy  great 
pity  and  mercy  upon  one  so  sore  distressed.  Deep 
down  in  the  heart  hast  Thou  sown  Thy  seeds  of  love, 


60  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

and  now  that  they  have  grown  and  blossomed,  shall  I 
pluck  them  out? 

"O,  God,  I  pray  Thee  to  let  this,  the  bitterest  of  all 
cups,  pass;  give  me  Thy  love,  give  me  Thy  counsel 
that  I  may  know  the  right  path,  and  strength  that  I 
may  remain  true  to  my  love,  true  to  father  and  mother 
and  true  unto  myself.  Bless,  too,  O  Father  of  all,  I 
beseech  Thee,  the  one  who  must  also  share  with  me 
this  cup  of  the  bitterest  of  all  dregs.  Strengthen  him 
and  keep  him  true  to  himself  and  true  to  Thee. " 

Thus,  for  hours  Rebecca  prayed,  until  at  last,  she 
retired,  feeling  that  sweet  consolation  which  is  only 
found  in  deep  and  earnest  prayer.  As  Rebecca  felt  a 
touch  of  Divine  love,  she  also  experienced  a  wonderful 
feeling  of  justification,  and  the  determination  to  remain 
true  to  her  love  grew  stronger  and  stronger. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  SHORT  time  after  the  circumstance  related  at 
the  close  of  the  last  chapter,  while  Mr.  Goldburg 
was  in  New  York  on  business  connected  with  the 
store,  Mrs.  Goldburg  and  Rebecca  spent  an  evening  at 
Col.  Bundy's,  and  while  Mrs.  Bundy's  daughter  and 
Rebecca  were  in  the  yard  among  the  flowers,  Mrs. 
Bundy  and  Mrs.  Goldburg  had  a  regular  old  fashioned 
visit  to  themselves,  and  Mrs.  Bundy,  who  had 
fallen  into  the  common  error  of  thinking  that  unlimited 
wealth  gave  unlimited  happiness,  was  not  a  little 
surprised  at  hearing  the  subject  discussed  from  a 
different  standpoint. 

After  Mrs.  Bundy  had  told  her  how  nicely  they  were 
getting  along,  how  they  had  invested  the  little  money 
they  had  left  out  of  the  financial  wreck  and  how  they 
were  economizing,  and  trying  to  save  a  little  each 
month  out  of  the  Colonel's  salary  and  by  careful 
management  had  been  enabled  to  live  quite  comfortably 
on  so  small  a  sum;  she  continued  by  saying  that  not 
withstanding  they  themselves  were  quite  poor,  she  did 
not  envy  the  happiness  of  those  who  had  been  more 
fortunate.  — 

But  Mrs.  Goldburg  soon  assured  her  there  was  no 
occasion  for  being  envious.  Said  she:  "My  expe 
rience  is  that  it  is  not  among  the  rich  you  need  look 
for  the  greatest  happiness.  When  we  were  poor  my 
husband  worked  hard  and  came  home  nights  tired,  but 
his  daily  toil  was  over  and  he  had  nothing  to  do  but 
to  enjoy  the  blessings  of  home.  I,  too,  by  my  little 
sewing  for  the  miners,  was  enabled  to  contribute  to 
extent  tgwarxj  the  expenses  of  living  an4  I  felt 


62  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

as  though  I  really  amounted  to  something,  but  now 
small  matters  are  never  counted. 

"Mr.  Goldburg  comes  home  mentally  tired  trom 
having  pored  over  perplexing  examples  all  day.  He  is 
always  in  deep  thought  about  some  business  that  is 
not  going  exactly  as  he  would  like.  Some  man  does 
not  suit  and  he  has  not,  as  yet  been  able  to  find  a 
better  one.  There  is  some  great  scheme  on  hand  to 
lobby  a  bill  through  Congress  to  make  another  big 
haul  on  the  people  and  he  has  been  assessed  a  large 
sum  toward  the  fund  to  bribe  officials.  He  is  afraid 
the  money  will  be  misplaced  and  that  he  himself  will 
be  the  one  swindled  at  last,  but  he  dare  not  refuse. 
All  these  big  swindles  are  brought  about  in  the  same 
way  and  the  money  god  is  a  tyrant  and  perfectly 
inexorable. 

"He  is  always  restless  and  nervous,  often  gets  up 
late  in  the  night  and  walks  the  floor  for  hours  at  a 
time  in  deep  meditation.  He  never  has  time  to  talk; 
besides  he  does  not  seem  to  be  interested  in  anything 
that  we  know  anything  about;  in  fact  it  seems  as  if  his 
whole  nature  has  undergone  a  change  and  I  do  not 
think  it  is  age  that  has  done  it." 

Pausing  for  a  moment  she  continued: 

"Do  you  know,  Mrs.  Bundy,  I  sometimes  believe 
that  money,  when  you  get  above  a  competency,  is  a 
curse.  What  benefit  can  we  hope  to  derive  from  the 
millions  that  Mr.  Goldburg  is  piling  up? 

"For  the  present  it  is  only  an  annoyance,  and  when  I 
look  at  the  matter  I  fail  to  see  where,  when  and  how 
property  in  California  and  Oregon  can  benefit  us  here. 
True,  we  get  the  rent,  but  what  of  that,  we  do  not  need 
it,  nor  do  we  use  it  except  to  buy  more  land  and  have 
the  trouble  of  collecting  more  rents  Just  the  interest 
alone  that  we  get  on  bonds  amounts  to  thousands  and 
is  more  than  enough  to  keep  us  in  luxury.  Then  why 
run  banks,  railroads,  factories  and  shops?  It  looks  to 
me  to  be  all  trouble  for  nothing  and  it  seems  as  though 
there  ought  to  be  some  better  way. 

"The  only  thing  that  I  can  see  in  money  above  a 
competency  is  power.  If  power  is  used  to  oppress 


AN     IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  63 

others  then  it  certainly  debases  the  one  who  uses  it, 
and  whoever  knew  a  millionaire  to  use  his  power  for 
any  other  purpose  except  to  accumulate  more,  and  that 
means  oppression  to  some  one. 

"I  see  by  some  of  the  late  papers  that  the  doctors  are 
beginning  to  treat  drunkenness  as  a  disease.  I  believe 
that  they  are  right  and  that  gambling  is  also  a  disease 
and  that  the  man  that  gets  to  gambling  in  stocks  with 
his  millions,  will  finally  contract  the  disease  in  such  a 
malignant  form  as  to  become  a  burden  to  himself  and 
all  his  friends,  a  blank  in  society  and  a  curse  to  the 
human  race. " 

This  was  all  a  new  way  of  looking  at  things  from 
what  Mrs.  Bundy  had  been  accustomed  to. 

"it  looks  strange,"  said  she,  "that  men  should  aban 
don  all  the  walks  of  pleasure  and  usefulness  to  confine 
themselves  in  an  office  concocting  all  sorts  of  schemes 
to  extort  money  from  the  people  when  they  already 
have  more  than  they  can  use  even  in  luxurious  living 
in  a  natural  lifetime. " 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Goldburg,  "and  since  such  is  man's 
disposition  I  think  the  law  should  step  in  and  prevent 
this  suicidal  course  by  saying  when  thou  art  gone  thy 
effects  shall  revert  back  through  the  government  to  the 
place  they  naturally  belong  and  from  where  they  have 
been  extorted  -by  cunning  tricks  and  usury. " 

"Looking  at  things  from  this  standpoint,"  said  Mrs. 
Bundy,  "I  think  I  ought  to  feel  thankful  for  the  family 
ties  of  love  that  have  ever  blest  our  home.  Mr. 
Bundy  through  all  our  trials  has  been  ever  cheerful, 
and  he  treats  me  with  as  much  care  and  solicitude  as 
the  day  when  we  were  married,  and  our  children 
hardly  know  what  it  is  to  hear  an  unkind  word.  We 
may  some  time  want  for  food  but  never  for  kindness 
and  family  love." 

After  tea  when  Mrs.  Goldburg  was  about  to  depart, 
the  girls  insisted  on  Rebecca  staying  to  spend  the 
evening,  to  which  she  consented. 

When  Frank  returned  from  the  shop  his  two  sisters 
were  helping  their  mother  in  the  kitchen  and  he  found 
Rebecca  alone  in  the  parlor.  The  meeting  was  one  of 


64  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

that  class  of  lovers'  meetings  that  is  easier  imagined 
than  described.  Rebecca  laid  all  her  father's  objec 
tions  before  Frank  with  all  the  simplicity  of  a  child. 
After  a  long  silence  Frank,  in  a  serious  and  medita 
tive  voice,  said: 

"Rebecca,  you  do  not  know  how  dear  you  are  to  me, 
but  I  am  afraid  I  am  doing  wrong  in  standing  between 
you  and  your  fortune  which  I  can  never  hope  to  replace 
if  it  is  taken  from  you. " 

"Love,"  said  Rebecca,  "is  greater  to  me  than  all  the 
gold  that  glitters." 

He  pressed  her  more  closely  to  his  heart  and  both 
stood  motionless;  language  failed  to  give  an  expression 
in  words  to  the  thoughts  that  seemed  to  melt  and 
mingle  in  every  breath.  At  last  supper  was  called  and 
they  joined  the  family.  Nothing  could  have  been 
more  depressing  than  the  circumstances  under  which 
these  two  were  placed.  Both  sensitive,  both  intent  on 
doing  right,  duty  to  parents  was  before  them  while 
duty  to  love  and  self  claimed  their  consideration. 

After  supper  Frank  escorted  Rebecca  home  but  both 
felt  too  sad  to  talk  and  parted  by  simply  pledging 
eternal  love. 

Soon  after  this  Mr.  Goldsmith,  the  New  York 
gambler,  who  it  will  be  remembered  had  worked  up  the 
railroad  scheme  in  which  he  and  Mr.  Goldburg  had 
both  become  millionaires,  made  his  appearance  in 
Bopeep  and  put  up  at  the  Palace  hotel  where  he  fell 
in  with  M.  M.  Taylor,  an  old  acquaintance  of  his  who 
was  noted  for  his  success  in  horse-racing  and  gambling 
on  prize  fights. 

Mr.  Goldsmith  told  his  friend  that  he  had  a  little 
deal  on  hand  here  that  was  good  for  a  round  million 
at  least  if  he  could  make  it  work.  On  being  pressed 
to  give  an  outline  of  the  scheme  he  said  it  was  nothing 
more  nor  less  than  marrying  the  banker's  daughter. 

He  said  that  he  stood  all  right  with  the  father,  but 
although  the  girl  had  always  treated  him  courteously, 
he  was  forced  to  confess  that  she  was  the  hardest 
creature  to  approach  he  had  ever  met,  He  had  called 
%t  the  mansion  several  times  on  invitation  intending 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  65 

to  make  advances  and  his  heart  had  always  failed  him, 
but  that  he  would  take  on  a  drink  or  two  this  time 
and  put  on  a  bold  front,  that  a  "faint  heart  never  won 
fair  lady,"  and  that  he  intended  to  tackle  the  girl. 
His  friend  cautioned  him  not  to  be  too  fast,  but  he 
said  "no,  thereis  too  much  money  at  stake,  I  know  the 
father  is  in  favor  of  the  match  and  I  don't  intend  to 
put  it  off  too  long." 

On  the  following  evening  he  w^nt  to  Mr.  Goldbung's 
dressed  in  the  height  of  dudish  style,  and  on  being 
announced,  was  received  by  Rebecca  and  ushered  into 
the  parlor  where  he  was  entertained  by  her  and  her 
mother  in  their  most  friendly  manner.  For  an  hour 
they  chatted  and  Mr.  Goldsmith  made  good  his  resolu 
tion  by  showing  such  a  remarkable  degree  of  boldness 
as  to  come  near  driving  Rebecca  from  the  room;  but 
excusing  rudeness  on  account  of  his  being  a  millionaire, 
she  managed  to  stand  her  ground. 

On  taking  his  leave  he  was  so  kind  as  to  solicit  her 
company  to  the  theatre  some  evening  She  declined 
with  a. coldness  that  would  have  chilled  the  heart  of  a 
Polar  bear.  But  Mr.  Goldsmith  had  a  determination 
which  nothing  but  the  love  of  money  could  have  sus 
tained  and  he  was  not  to  be  frustrated,  so  he  took  his 
leave  by  informing  the. ladies  he  would  call  again  in  a 
day  or  two. 

On  returning  home  from  the  bank  that  evening  Mr. 
Goldburg  called  his  daughter  into  the  room  again  and 
greeting  her  with  a  smile  which  was  quite  unusual, 
informed  her  that --Mr.  Goldsmith  would  spend  the 
following  evening  with  them  and  this  would  be  a  good 
time  to  make  an  impression. 

As  Mr.  Goldsmith  had  made  and  now  possessed  more 
than  two  millions,  his  ability  as  a  financier  could 
hardly  be  doubted;  and  in  addition  to  what  he  now  had, 
on  the  death  of  his  father  he  would  fall  heir  to  over 
ten  millions.  He  ventured  to  remark  to  his  daughter 
"that  he  had  heard  Mr.  Goldsmith  speak  in  a  very 
complimentary  manner  of  her  several  times. 

"Father,"  said  Rebecca,  in  a  very  positive  manner, 
"do  you  know  that  I  hate  that  man?" 


66  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

"What,  what,"  said  her  father,  "what  did  he  ever  do 
to  make  you  hate  him?" 

"I  hate  him,"  said  Rebecca,  "because  he  is  vulgar; 
because  he  has  no  fine  feelings,  because  he  never 
uttered  a  word  in  my  presence  that  sounded  as  if  he 
possessed  a  noble,  manly  heart.  Father,  I  would 
rather  be  buried  in  the  bottom  of  the  sea  and  have  the 
billows  ebb  and  flow  above  me,  than  marry  a  man 
like  that." 

Mr.  Goldburg  was  sorely  disappointed  in  this  state 
of  affairs;  he  was  so  accustomed  to  have  everything 
bend  to  his  will  on  account  of  his  money  that  it  fairly 
staggered  him  to  be  confronted  by  his  own  daughter,  a 
mere  child  as  she  appeared  to  him,  and  one  who,  as  a 
rule,  was  willing  to  sacrifice  everything  in  order  that 
he  might  be  pleased;  and  now  that  he  was  trying  to 
secure  her  happiness  it  was  the  harder  to  bear,  because 
he  considered  this  as  the  great  plan  of  his  life  which 
she  was  frustrating.  But  this  disappointment  was  to 
teach  him  one  valuable  lesson — that  even  the  power  of 
gold  is  circumscribed. 

Rebecca,  on  the  other  hand,  recognized  the  impor 
tance  her  father  attached  to  the  affair.  In  fact  she 
could  not  refrain  from  remarking  to  her  mother  that 
afternoon  that  it  was  the  first  time  she  had  seen  her 
father  smile  since  he  became  a  millionaire,  and  Faid 
she,  "if  my  marrying  that  man  is  the  only  thing  that 
will  bring  smiles  to  his  face  I  am  afraid  he  will  never 
smile  again." 

On  the  following  evening,  true  to  his  appointment 
Mr.  Goldsmith  accompanied  the  banker  home. 

It  was  Rebecca's  first  impulse  to  retire  to  her  own 
room  and  report  herself  "not  at  home,"  but  on  second 
thought,  her  love  and  respect  for  her  father  prevented 
her  carrying  out  a  resolution  that  would  have  been  so 
embarrassing  to  him;  so  preparing  herself  for  the  disa 
greeable  task,  she*  resolved  to  treat  her  guest  with  as 
much  courtesy  as  possible,  under  the  circumstances. 

In  spite  of  all  her  resolutions  to  the  contrary,  her 
reception  ot  the  millionaire  was  anything  but  what  he 
would  have  desired.  Her  smiles  were  cold  and  com- 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  67 

fortless  and  notwithstanding  she  seemed  to  treat  him 
with  courtesy,  he  could  not  shake  off  the  feeling  pf 
self-abasement  while  in  her  presence.  She  seemed  to 
look  down  into  his  very  soul  and  read  there  the  thoughts 
of  a  man  in  quest  for  gold. 

This  feeling -came  so  strongly  upon  the  great  railroad 
magnate  that  when  he  was  out  of  the  house  he  felt  like 
a  bird  set  free  and  he  hardly  felt  at  ease  until  he  had 
separated  from  Mr.  Goldburg  at  the  bank  and  joined 
his  friend,  the  horse-race  man,  at  the  hotel.  They 
retired  at  once  to  a  private  apartment  and  ordering  a 
quantity  of  brandy  arid  glasses,  proceeded  to  drink 
freely.  The  millionaire  then  told  his  story  and  in 
conclusion  said  that,  undoubtedly,  the  scheme  had 
proved  a  failure,  beyond  all  redemption.  "The  cause," 
he  said,  "was  not  clear,  but  that  her  mind  was  fully 
made  up  on  the  subject,  would  hardly  admit  of  a 
doubt. 

"I  might,"  said  he,  "through  the  influence  of  money 
and  intrigue  with  her  father,  who  is  as  crazy  after  gold 
as  a  spring  bird  is  for  a  worm,  compel  her  to  recog 
nize  my  suit,  but  the  world,  in  this  enlightened  age, 
could  hardly  produce  a  man  who,  in  his  right  mind, 
would  be  willing  to  claim  the  hand  of  one  who  is 
possessed  of  such  repelling  force.  I  think  it  is  the 
father's  plan  to  marry  her  to  some  one  who  has  or  will 
have  unlimited  wealth;  but  if  he  don't  have  lots  of 
trouble  accomplishing  that  end,  I  shall  miss  my  guess." 

Mr.  Goldburg  on  reaching  the  bank,  went  at  once  to 
his  office  and  threw  himself  into  a  magnificent  chair, 
took  a  cigar  from  a  box  of  fine  Havannas  that  cost  not 
less  than  twenty-five  dollars,  and  lighting  it,  in  a 
somewhat  nervous  manner,  threw  himself  back  in  his 
chair  and  gave  himself  up  to  very  serious  reflection. 

The  reception  of  Mr.  Goldsmith  by  Rebecca  had  not 
met  his  hopes  and  expectations,  by  any  means.  That 
Frank  Bundy  yet  occupied  a  place  in  her  affections 
was  plainly  to  be  seen.  But  why  Nature  should  im 
plant  such  strong  feelings  in  the  hearts  of  the  young, 
was  something  the  banker  could  not  understand;  he 
could  not  blame  the  girl,  it  was  Nature  that  was  at 


68  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

fault.  It  seemed  to  him  that  the  best  part  of  life  was 
spent  in  following  fancies  and  notions  before  we  learn 
to  appreciate  wealth  and  then  it  is  often  too  late. 

The  fact  that  Rebecca  was  still  young  led  him  to 
think  that  if  he  could  remove  the  cause,  he  might  still 
accomplish  his  end;  but  how  was  this  to  be  done? 

In  olden  times  the  Priests,  Rulers  and  men  of  wealth, 
had  Trusties  to  put  out  of  the  way  men  who  were 
objectionable,  and  even  now  the  same  methods  are 
sometimes  resorted  to.  He  did  not  wish  to  resort  to 
such  extreme  measures,  still  he  felt  it  his  imperative 
duty  to  protect  his  family  against  the  disgrace  of 
having  his  daughter  marry  a  laboring  man. 

After  preparing  some  business  papers  for  the  next 
mail,  Mr.  Goldburg  locked  up  his  private  office  and 
returned  home  fully  determined  to  remove  at  once  all 
obstacles  to  the  marrying  of  his  daughter  to  a  man  of 
her  own  class.  He  talked  to  Mrs.  Goldburg  about 
the  matter,  but  finding  that  she  entertained  very 
different  views  upon  the  subject  he  resolved  to  act 
entirely  upon  his  own  judgment.* 

A  few  days  after  this  Mr.  Goldburg  made  it  a  point 
to  meet  Frank  as  he  was  returning  from  work.  As 
they  met  the  banker  stopped  as  if  for  a  talk,  which 
also  brought  Mr.  Bundy  to  a  standstill.  After  exchang 
ing  salutations  the  banker  commenced: 

"Mr.  Bundy,  I  am  sorry  to  see  there  is  so  much 
attachment  existing  between  my  daughter  and  yourself 
and  feel  it  to  be  my  duty  as  a  father,  to  notify  you  that 
your  meetings  must  be  discontinued  and  all  engage 
ments  which  may  exist  be  broken  off." 

"Why  is  this?"  said  Frank  in  an  independent  manner. 

"You  ought  to  know,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Goldburg,  "that 
as  poor  as  you  are,  you  could  hardly  expect  to  marry 
an  heiress;  but  I  will  make  you  one  condition,  go  to 
some  great  mining  camp  and  prove  yourself  a  man  by 
bringing  back  $100,000  and  she  is  yours." 

"What,"  said  Frank,  in  a  sarcastic  manner,  "do  you 
propose  selling  your  own  daughter?" 

"No,  sir,"  said  the  banker  indignantly,  "but  I  do  not 
intend  she  shall  marry  a  pauper." 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  69 

This  was  too  much;  the  boy  did  not  stop  to  consider 
but  acting  on  the  impulse,  in  pugilistic  style,  struck 
the  banker  a  blow  in  the  eye  which  sent  him  sprawling 
in  the  mud,  and  without  stopping  to  help  him  to  his 
feet  again,  he  walked  on  till  he  met  a  policeman,  when 
he  gave  himselKup. 

The  banker  was  assisted  to  his  feet  by  bystanders 
and  as  soon  as  he  recovered  from  his  surprise,  he 
hurried  on  and  filed  a  complaint. 

Frank  gave  bail,  of  course,  and  the  trial  was  set  for 
the  following  day. 

Mr.  Goldburg  received  the  necessary  medical  atten 
tion  and  returned  to  his  home.  His  wife  and  daughter 
were,  of  course,  greatly  alarmed  by  his  appearance, 
but  after  satisfying  themselves  that  he  was  not  badly 
hurt,  they  were  anxious  to  know  the  particulars.  Mr. 
Goldburg,  however,  did  not  feel  inclined  to  talk  very 
freely  but  seemed  to  prefer  to  be  alone,-  so  they  allowed 
him  to  rest  quietly  on  the  sofa. 

During  the  trial  of  the  case  the  court  room  was 
crowded  with  workingmen.  It  happened  that  the 
justice  was  an  old  soldier  who  had  served  under  Col. 
Bundy,  so  Frank  thought  his  chances  for  holding  his 
own  were  pretty  good.  When  court  came  to  order, 
the  statements  of  the  banker  and  Frank  were  so  nearly 
the  same  that  further  evidence  was  considered  unnec 
essary  and  the  case  went  to  the  court.  Frank  was 
fined  five  dollars  and  costs,  which  he  proceeded  to  pay 
but  was  crowded  back  by  the  workingmen,  while  others 
paid  the  fine. 

No  trial  in  that  city  ever  attracted  such  widespread 
attention  as  this,  small  as  it  was.  The  newspapers 
published  a  full  account  of  the  affair,  with  lengthy 
comments  and  it,  like  many  differences  passed,  having 
done  its  part  toward  increasing  the  feeling  between 
capital  and  labor,  which  is  after  all  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  another  name  for  the  two  classes — rich 
and  poor. 

Mr.  Goldburg' s  sore  head  only  made  him  the  more 
determined  and  the  next  thing  to  be  done  was  to  throw 
Frank  out  of  work.  As  he  owned  a  large  amount  of 


^6  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

stock  in  the  business  where  Frank  was  working,  beside 
furnishing  them  money  through  the  bank  to  tide  over 
rough  places,  it  was  no  great  trouble  to  have  the 
young  man  discharged,  and  that  without  letters  of 
recommendation.  Frank  was  not  surprised  when  he 
went  to  the  shop  at  noon  to  find  a  request  to  call  at 
the  office.  Of  course,  he  knew  what  that  meant,  and 
after  drawing  his  money,  he  went  home  to'  talk  over 
the  matter.  On  his  way  home  he  called  at  the  other 
shops  only  to  find  his  services  were  not  needed.  They 
would  gladly  have  given  him  employment,  but  they 
were  all,  more  or  less,  dependent  on  the  bank  for 
money.  They  knew  this  was  a  personal  fight  of  the 
most  powerful  banker  in  the  town  against  the  boy  and 
they  were  liable  to  lose  favor  if  they  had  him  in  their 
employ. 

Seeing  plainly  the  situation,  Frank  decided  at  once 
what  to  do,  in -fact,  there  was  but  one  thing  to  do,  go 
beyond  the  reach,  of  the  banker's  influence  to  try  to  get 
work.  That  night  he  related  the  whole  affair  to  his 
father  and  mother,  and  after  everything  was  fully 
explained  his  mother  reported  what  Mrs.  Goldburg  had 
said,  that  there  was  but  one  use  that  could  be  made  of 
money  or  property,  above  a  competency,  or  what  would 
keep  a  man  and  his  family  in  luxury  a  long  time,  or 
while  they  lived,  and  that  is  its  use  to  oppress  others. 
She  remembered  Mr.  Goldburg  used  to  say  the  same 
thing  before  he  became  a  millionaire,  and  said  she: 
"I  believe  there  should  be  some  limit  bylaw,  to  the 
amount  of  money  or  property  a  man  may  be  allowed  to 
own.  Power  is  good,  so  much  as  will  secure  to  us 
self-preservation,  education,  comfort  and  amusement; 
the  next  step  is  the  power  to  oppress  others,  which 
some  will  use.  Money  is  power,  hence  its  acquisition 
should  be  limited  to  our  needs. 

"These  views  might  appear  radical  to  some,  but  all 
should  at  least  agree,  that  the  government  is  doing  a 
great  wrong  when  it  gives  the  bankers  millions  of 
dollars  to  use  to  oppress  their  neighbors  with,  just 
because  they  happen  to  be  rich  enough  to  own  govern 
ment  bonds.  I  should  think  if  government  has  favors 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  ?i 

to  bestow,  the  poor  should  receive  the  benefit,  for  the 
rich  can  take  care  of  themselves.  " 

"Look  out,"  said  the  Colonel,  "you  will  be  advocat 
ing  woman  suffrage  next." 

"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Bundy,  "if  we  had  woman  suf 
frage  it  could  not-be  much  worse  than  now." 

"They  would  make  a  fine  lot  of  Congressmen, 
wouldn't  they?"  said  Frank,  in  a  jesting  way. 

"Congressmen,"  sajd  his  mother  warming  up  to  the 
subject,  "if  Congress  had  been  composed  of  intel 
ligent  mothers  how  much  British  and  Wall  Street  gold 
do  you  suppose  it  would  have  taken  to  put  the  Excep 
tion  Clause  upon  the  greenback  or  pass  the  United 
States  Banking  Act,  or  the  act  authorizing  the  selling 
of  interest  bearing  bonds  to  take  up  a  currency  that 
bore  no  interest  and  was  also  needed  in  circulation? 
These  acts  are  all  such  plain  frauds  that  it  becomes  a 
question  of  honesty  rather  than  ability,  and  if  ever  a 
woman  gets  into  Congress  by  a  majority  vote  of  the 
people,  her  record  will  be  so  clean  that  no  one  will 
dare  approach  her  with  a  bribe. " 

"It  does  look  as  if  there  must  be  something  wrong," 
said  Col.  Bundy,  "when  a  man  of  Mr.  Goldburg's 
ability  can  become  a  millionaire  in  so  short  a  time, 
and  that,  too,  at  a  time  when  one-fourth  of  the  best 
business  men  of  the  place  have  had  to  succumb  to  the 
terrible  contraction  of  the  currency  and  those  who  are 
still  in  business  have  lost  money  and  are  largely  in 
debted  to  the  banks.  It  is  hard  to  conceive  where 
this  matter  will  end.  The  democratic  party  is  rotten 
to  the  core,  and  the  republican  party  seems  to  have 
been  captured  by  the  money  power  and  has  become 
the  tool  of  great  conspiracies  to  rob  the  people.  Our 
only  course,  therefore,  seems  to  be  to  worry  along, 
make  the  best  of  it  and  see  what  evolution  will  bring 
forth  next.  Under  the  existing  state  of  affairs,  Mr. 
Goldburg,  through  his  millions,  in  this  place  or  com 
munity  can  crowd  almost  any  man  out  of  business  that 
may  in  any  manner  stand  in  his  way;  that  he  can  pre 
vent  Frank  from  getting  work  in  any  of  the  shops  is 
quite  enough  to  warrant  this  conclusion. 


72  AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

"But  it  only  shows  the  power  there  is  in  money. 
If  a  half  starved  man  were  to  come  into  the  store  and 
represent  that  he  was  working  for  some  well  known 
and  responsible  citizen  and  had  a  month's  wages  due 
him,  which  he  could  collect  on  the  first  of  next  month, 
buy  a  bill  of  goods,  give  an  order  on  the  man  for  the 
amount,  and  it  would  afterward  be  found  that  he  was 
not  working  for  the  man,  nor  did  he  have  any  money 
due  him;  this  would  be  obtaining  money  under  false 
pretenses,  which  is  a  crime  and  can  be  punished  as 
such.  But  Mr.  Goldburg  or  any  other  millionaire, 
through  moneyed  influence,  can  force  the  people  of  this 
country  to  pay  tithes  to  him,  in  the  shape  of  interest  and 
discount,  to  the  extent  of  thousands  of  dollars  each  year; 
can  drive  a  tradesman  out  of  employ  and  virtually  force 
him  to  leave  the  country  or  go  to  work  at  common  labor. 

"While  these  things  are  all  wrong  and  rob  the  vic 
tim  as  effectually  as  in  the  other  case,  the  law  sees  no 
crime  and  affords  no  relief;  in  fact,  furnishes  the 
money  upon  which  bankers  are  allowed  to  collect 
interest. 

"Politicians  tell  us  the  first  duty  of  government  is  to 
protect  property;  it  seems  to  me  it  would  be  better  to 
make  it  the  first  duty  of  government  to  protect  the 
citizen  against  the  oppression  of  property  owners. 

"Mr.  Goldburg  has  raked  together  millions  of  dollars 
here  in  the  last  four  years.  There  is  just  the  same 
property  in  the  town  now,  that  there  was  four  years 
ago.  Then  the  people  owned  it,  now  Mr.  Goldburg 
and  the  bank  own  it.  Had  he  taken  it  at  the  point  of 
the  bayonet  or  pistol,  the  result  would  have  been  the 
same — robbery  pure  and  simple. 

"That  this  sudden  accumulation  of  wealth  has  been 
brought  about  by  wicked  and  fraudulent  legislation, 
there  remains  hardly  room  for  a  doubt,  and  an  unpro- 
ducing  concern  in  the  shape  of  a  bank  has  been 
fastened  upon  the  country,  to  which  the  people  will  be 
forced  to  pay  tribute  through  all  time  to  come,  unless 
our  present  financial  legislation  undergoes  an  entire 
change.  Although  our  form  of  government  is  quite  a 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  73 

step   in   advance   of   the   old  world,  it  might  oe  mate 
rially  changed  for  the  better. " 

The  conversation  now  turned  on  Frank's  departure. 
His  mother  wanted  him  to  go  back  to  their  old  place, 
but  the  farmers  were  all  running  behind  and  many  who 
had  been  doing  well  while  money  was  plenty  had  since 
the  contraction  of  currency  been  forced  to  mortgage 
their  farms  to  the  bank  to  pay  their  taxes,  which  were 
still  as  high  as  they  were  before  the  contraction. 
Under  the  existing  laws  farming  seemed  to  be  a  failure. 
The  burning  of  greenbacks  was  still  going  on,  and  as 
they  were  disappearing  from  circulation,  everything  in 
the  shape  of  property  was  falling  to  pieces  and  the 
bankers  saw  their  notes  and  mortgages  increasing  in 
value. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THAT  same  evening,  Mr.  Goldburg  came  home  with 
a  handkerchief  around  his  face  and  perfumed  with 
liniment  strong  enough  to  perfume  the  whole  house. 
Rebecca  did  everything  possible  to  comfort  her  father 
and  then  busied  herself  with  her  own  thoughts.  She 
had  just  finished  reading  the  account  of  the  affair  when 
ner  father  entered,  and  she  could  not  blame  Frank  for 
her  father  had  no  right  to  call  him  a  pauper. 

After  Rebecca  had  retired,  Mr.  Goldburg  proceeded 
to  tell  his  wife  what  had  happened  during  the  day. 
After  the  trial  was  over  he  sent  for  the  foreman  of  the 
shop  and  ordered  him  to  discharge  Frank  at  once,  and 
said  he  was  satisfied  that  the  other  shops,  knowing  the 
circumstances,  would  be  afraid  to  employ  him.  In  that 
event  he  would  be  compelled  to  leave  the  place,  and  as 
many  of  the  shops  were  closed  or  running  on  half  time, 
he  would  find  it  hard  to  secure  a  job  and  would  proba 
bly  be  compelled  to  do  as  he  had  advised  him  at  first — 
go  to  a  mining  locality,  and  in  that  case  all  trouble 
would  end  for  a  time,  at  least. 

After  a  long  pause,  Mrs.  Goldburg  said,  "My  dear, 
don't  you  think  you  are  doing  wrong  in  persecuting 
Mr.  Bundy  in  this  way  when  he  has  never  wronged  you?" 

"Never  wronged  me?  Are  not  my  eyes  swelled 
larger  than  a  washpan  from  the  effects  of  his  big  fist, 
and  has  he  not  been  trying  to  marry  our  daughter,  who 
is  heir  to  millions  and  he  without  a  cent?" 

"But,"  said  Mrs.  Goldburg,  "you  know  he  is  a  bright 
young  man,  of  good  habits  and  of  a  very  respectably 


AN     FDEAL    REPUBLIC.  75 

family;  his  grandfather  was  a  General  in  the  war  of 
1812,  and  his  father  came  home  from  the  late  war 
covered  with  glory.  He  fought  four  long  years  and 
lost  one  arm  in  order  to  preserve  this  great  nation." 

"Yes,"  said  the  banker,  "but  that  all  amounts  to 
nothing  now.  That  glory,  you  see,  was  only  transi 
tory,  only  a  shadow.  They  did  preserve  the  country, 
it  is  true,  but  before  the  work  was  half  completed  the 
money  power  of  London,  New  York,  Boston  and  Phila 
delphia  had  combined  and  established  their  authority 
so  firmly  in  Washington  that  the  government  by  the 
people,  became  a  government  by  the  money  power, 
whose  mission  is  to  own  and  control  the  people, 
the  principle  of  self-government  for  which  Col. 
Bundy  fought,  is  now  among  the  things  of  the 
past,  and  under  the  pressure  of  the  money  power  the 
patriotic  spirit  of  olden  times  is  fast  passing  away. 
In  a  few  more  years  that  old  stock  of  American 
patriots,  of  which  Col.  Bundy  is  a  fair  sample,  will 
have  disappeared,  and  will  live  only  in  history. 

"There  has  not  been  a  financial  act  passed  in  the 
United  States  since  1862  that  was  not  dictated  by  the 
money  power.  The  number  of  business  failures 
brought  about  by  class  legislation  can  be  numbered  by 
the  thousands  and  the  loss  to  the  people  by  shrinkage 
in  value  can  be  counted  by  millions  upon  millions; 
and  the  wealth  of  this  country  is  being  gathered  into 
the  hands  of  a  few  more  easily  than  you  could  gather 
butter  in  a  churn. 

"The  middle  and  lower  classes  are  constantly  being 
crowded  out.  Corporations  are  absorbing  their  business 
and  driving  private  enterprise  to  the  wall  everywhere, 
and  millionaires  are  springing  up  like  mushrooms  all 
along  the  line. 

"Both  the  old  political  parties  are  subservient  to  the 
money  power.  We  will  therefore  control  the  legisla 
tion.  The  sectional  fight  can  be  kept  up  until  the 
money  power  becomes  so  thoroughly  intrenched  behind 
the  financial  and  business  interests  of  the  country  that 
they  will  control  the  destinies  of  the  nation  with  the 
greatest  ease. 


76  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

"Even  the  people,  as  they  see  their  property  slipping 
away,  will  become  discouraged,  lose  confidence  in  the 
government  and  patriotism  will  disappear.  They 
already  are  beginning  to  recognize  the  fact  that  it  is 
the  dollars  that  make  the  man. 

"Didn't  you  notice  that  when  Gen.  Grant  was  here 
last  summer  he  came  to  my  house,  was  escorted  all 
over  the  country  by  me  and  in  my  carriage,  and  that 
he  did  not  even  call  on  Col.  Buridy?  And  did  not 
Gen.  Sherman  do  the  same  thing?  I  tell  you  that  it  is 
the  dollars  that  make  the  man  now.  These  Generals 
both  knew  that  I  was  not  in  the  army.  They  knew 
that  I  was  at  home  making  every  dollar  I  could  from 
those  who  did  go,  and  now  I  have  the  dollars  and  they 
have  the  experience. 

"It  was  too  good  a  time  for  me  to  make  money  to 
tie  myself  up  in  the  army  and  take  the  chance  of  being 
killed.  Of  course  they  called  us  bad  names  sometimes 
but  you  will  see  before  the  century  is  out  we  will  put 
one  of  our  own  men  in  the  presidential  chair  and  the 
brigadiers  both  north  and  south  will  take  a  back  seat. " 

During  this  talk  Mr.  Goldburg  composedly  nursed 
his  swollen  face  and  talked  as  one  in  a  dream.  There 
could  be  no  doubt  that  it  came  from  his  inmost  soul, 
and  although  Mrs.  Goldburg  could  not  believe  that 
God  would  ever  permit  this  great  liberty-loving  people 
to  pass  helplessly  under  the  rule  of  monetary  despot 
ism,  she  still  felt  that  her  husband  was  more  to  be 
pitied  than  blamed;  that  his  love  of  an  active  business 
life  increased  in  him  a  love  for  gold,  and  that  the 
power  given  to  gold  by  false  legislation  and  supersti 
tion  had  actually  led  him  on  to  an  idolatrous  worship 
of  the  golden  calf.  She  could  not  oppose  him  but 
pray  for  him  she  would  and  long,  long  hours  did  she 
pray,  but  alas!  the  idols  were  uppermost  in  his  mind 
and  his  desire  was  for  gold  as  an  inebriate's  is  for  drink. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goldburg  retired  late  that  night  to 
court  sleep  with  only  trifling  success.  Mr.  Goldburg 
would  wake  frequently  only  to  complain  of  his  bruised 
face,  while  Mrs.  Goldburg  was  too  full  of  feeling  to 
ileejp,  §he  knew  her  daughter's  heart  trouble  and 


AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  77 

being  in  perfect  sympathy  they  had  filled  her  soul  with 
forebodings.  She  hoped  and  prayed  and  prayed  and 
hoped,  and  finally  gave  herself  up  to  that  infinite  law 
of  love,  entirely  to  spiritual  guidance  and  found  conso 
lation  in  a  Christian  hope. 

But  what  shalLwe  say  of  Rebecca.  Those  who  have 
had  disappointments  in  love  can  realize  her  suffering. 
With  a  sick  and  wounded  heart  she  sought  relief  in 
solitary  prayer.  She  had  been  taught  that  Jesus  could 
be  relied  upon  in  the  saddest  case  of  disappointment, 
and  now  that  all  her  plans  seemed  blasted  at  a  single 
blow,  she  put  her  trust  in  Him  and  finally  after  half  a 
night  of  rolling,  tossing,  weeping  and  praying,  she 
passed  into  that  gentle  slumber,  which  brings  peace 
and  rest  to  the  troubled  soul. 

The  slumbers  of  Frank,  too,  it  may  be  supposed 
were  not  of  an  unbroken  nature.  The  bright  picture  of 
the  future  which  Rebecca  and  he  had  drawn,  and  all 
their  little  arrangements  and  promises  of  love  were 
now  to  be  realized  far  in  the  future,  if  at  all.  To 
forego,  in  any  degree  the  hope  of  realizing  these  things, 
was  to  him  like  accepting  life  as  a  solitary  blank. 
There  was  but  one  course,  and  that  was  to  seek  em 
ployment  and  with  nerve  and  muscle  he  would  build 
up  a  reputation  and  credit  and  some  day  get  on  his 
feet  again.  As  for  Rebecca,  he  knew  her  feelings  now, 
but  what  effect  his  own  feelings  would  have,  he  could 
not  tell,  but  at  all  events,  he  was  powerless  to  act;  he 
could  only  go  and  hope,  and  in  the  hope  he  felt  that 
he  could  exert  a  superhuman  strength.  He  had  saved 
about  $300.  He  would  go  on  this  until  he  found  work; 
on  the  following  morning  he  arose  and  penned  the 
following  note : 

HOME,   BOPEEP,  June  4th. 

My  Dear  Rebecca:  You  know,,  doubtless,  what  has 
transpired  within  the  last  few  days.  May  God  help 
you  to  forget  me,  for  I  see  nothing  but  disaster  in  the 
near  future.  1  am  determined  to  go  into  the  world  and 
do  the  best  I  can.  Times  are  hard  and  men  are  out  of 
employment  all  over  the  country,  but  I  shall  hope  for 
the  best.  I  shall  love  you  as  long  is  I  continue  to 


78  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

breathe,  but  am,  for  the  present,  undone,  and  if  you 
can  forget  me  and  marry  some  good  man,  I  will  forgive 
you.  I  go  to-day.  If  I  am  successful,  I  will  write  to 
you,  but  if  not,  no  one  will  ever  hear  from  me. 

God  bless  you,  Darling.     Good-bye. 

FRANK. 

At  breakfast  the  family  were  all  .sad.  Frank  tried 
hard  to  make  his  last  meal  at  home  an  enjoyable  one, 
but  a  feeling  of  sadness  that  lurked  behind  a  smiling 
face,  the  anguish  of  heart  which  naturally  follows  so 
great  a  calamity,  had  shaken  his  nervous  frame  and  he 
looked  worn.  His  father  and  mother  offe'red  several 
plans  by  which  they  hoped  to  induce  him  to  remain  at 
home,  "but  gold  is  god,"  said  Frank,  "and  if  I  remain 
here  I  will  bring  its  power  down  on  the  whole  family. 
If  I  go  I  may  find  something  better;  besides  if  I  must 
forever  remain  poor  it  will  be  less  galling  to  be  among 
strangers  than  to  be  here  among  those  who  have  known 
me  under  better  circumstances.  Mr.  Goldburg  would 
frustrate  any  plan  I  might  adopt  for  making  money 
here,  and  the  power  that  is  lodged  in  a  man  backed  by 
millionaires  is  something  to  be  dreaded.  I  have  seen 
that  slightly  demonstrated  already.  No,  I  must  go 
until  I  find  a  place  where  I  can  make  money."  So, 
finding  all  entreaties  useless,  his  mother  helped  him 
to  pack  up,  adding  to  his  general  stock  of  clothing, 
needles,  thread,  scissors  and  such  things  as  only  a 
mother  could  think  of,  and  after  taking  an  affectionate 
leave  of  his  mother  and  two  sisters  he  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  depot  in  time  to  take  the  10:40  train  for 
New  York;  not.  forgetting  to  leave  the  little  note  he 
had  written  with  his  eldest  sister  to  be  delivered  in 
person. 

On  reaching  New  York,  after  registering  at  a  very 
common  hotel  where  a  great  many  mechanics  and 
railroad  men  stopped,  he  soon  fell  in  with  other  iron 
workers  who  were  also  seeking  employment,  and  for 
three  days  he  visited  the  different  shops  only  to  find 
that  they  had  some  men  laid  off  and  others  working  on 
half  time. 

Everyone  said  that  there  was  a  wonderful  stagnation 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  79 

in  business,  caused  by  a  scarcity  of  money,  and  once 
in  a  while  he  would  meet  some  of  the  old  style  green 
back  men  kicking  about  the  government  withdrawing 
the  greenbacks  from  circulation  and  issuing  interest 
bearing  bonds,  thus  compelling  the  people  to  pay 
interest  on  the"  bonds,  and  then  pay  interest  on  bank 
bills  and  gold  to  supply  the  circulation,  but  Frank 
paid  very  little  attention  to  this  because  it  was  poli 
tics,  and  work  was  what  he  wanted. 

At  the  hotel  he  met  parties  from  Boston,  Buffalo, 
Philadelphia  and  many  other  important  points  who 
said  they  had  been  laid  off  and  had  to  come  to  New 
York  to  find  work.  Every  paper  brought  news  of 
more  failures  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  Some 
said  that  it  was  caused  by  contraction  of  the  currency, 
others  were  not  willing  to  give  any  reason,  but  all 
agreed  that  there  was  a  scarcity  of  money. 

Frank  paid  but  little  attention  to  politics  but  it 
looked  like  a  plain  case  to  him,  that  if  the  trouble  was 
scarcity  of  money,  and  that  must  be  true  for  everybody 
seemed  to  say  no  money,  scarcity  of  money,  and  other 
statements  of  the  same  kind  at  almost  every  breath, 
and  that  the  work  of  the  contraction  act  was  to  with 
draw  the  government  money,  greenback  from  circula 
tion,  then  the  contraction  act  must  be  the  prime  cause 
of  the  trouble,  for  it  was  plain  the  withdrawing  money 
from  circulation  would  make  it  scarce.  But  he  was 
too  much  interested  in  finding  work  to  give^the  subject 
much  more  than  a  passing  thought,  and  it  is  presumed 
that  the  majority  of  the  American  people  were  under 
the  same  influences  and  governed  by  the  same  motives, 
and  this  accounts  for  their  allowing  themselves  to  be 
financially  robbed  by  the  money  power  in  the  way 
they  were. 

Seeing  no  possible  chance  for  work  in  the  city  Frank 
made  up  his  mind  to  go  west.  During  his  stay  at  the 
hotel  he  met  an  old  schoolmate,  now  a  conductor 
on  one  of  the  roads  running  west  and  offered  to  carry 
him  over  his  run.  Of  course  Frank  took  advantage 
of  this  proposition,  and  before  the  Conductor  left  the 
{rain  he  gave  Frank  letters  that  carried  him  through 


8O  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

to  Chicago.  He  also  gave  him  letters  to  other  railroad 
men  in  Chicago  asking  them  to  assist  him  in  getting 
work.  On  reaching  that  city  the  same  difficulty  con 
fronted  him;  the  same  complaint  among  businessmen, 
hard  times,  men  out  of  employment,  business  failures 
everywhere,  everything  failing  in  value,  no  money  the 
same  old  cry.  Factories  and  shops  running  on  half 
time  and  hundreds  of  men  laid  off.  After  looking 
through  the  shops  Frank  saw  there  was  no  chance  for 
him,  so  he  presented  his  letters  and  found  the  railroad 
men  very  kind  but  said  it  would  be  next  to  an  impos 
sibility  to  get  any  kind  of  a  job  there  at  that  time,  but 
if  he  wanted  to  go  on  through  to  California,  he  was 
acquainted  with  many  of 'the  conductors  on  western 
roads  and  would  give  him  letters  that  would  carry  him 
through.  Frank  had  been  thinking  of  California  and 
so  he  resolved  to  go  and  took  the  first  train  for  Kansas 
City.  At  that  place  he  laid  off  for  a  day  and  was 
happy  to  find  money  matters  slightly  improved. 

Government  had  granted  or  given  away  large  tracts 
of  government  land  to  railroad  corporations  with  the 
understanding  that  the  company  was  to  build  a  road 
through  it.  This  was  something  of  a  departure  from 
the  old  system,  which  had  been  to  grant  a  charter  with 
the  understanding  that  the  railroad  company  pay  for 
the  right  of  way.  Some  people  claimed  that  as  the 
right  to  build  roads  belonged  to  the  people  or  to  the 
government,  that  railroad  companies  should  have  been 
made  to  pay  for  their  charter  or  franchise,  and-  there 
were  many  who  seemed  to  doubt  the  wisdom  and  even 
honesty  of  Congress  in  this  wholesale  giving  away  of 
government  land  to  private  corporations,  which  was  so 
out  of  keeping  with  the  former  custom  of  retaining  the 
land  for  actual  settlement,  and  as  the  same  men  that 
passed  the  Banking  and  Contraction  acts  had  also  been 
at  the  bottom  of  this  giving  away  of  public  land,  it 
certainly  looked  bad,  and  to  say  the  least,  it  was  very 
good  for  the  railroad  company,  but  very  bad  for  the 
people. 

In  order  to  obtain  a  title  to  these  very  valuable 
lands  the  railroad  company  could  well  afford  to  turn 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  8l. 

loose  a  little  money  in  the  way  of  building  a  road  that- 
would  pay  a  dividend  as  soon  as  completed  and  in 
operation  across  a  country  where,  for  hundreds  of 
miles,  the  grading  was  of  the  lightest  character.  As 
they  advanced  with  their  tracks,  flaming  circulars  were 
sent  out  setting  forth  the  richness  and  quality  of  the 
lands,  and  thousands  of  people  in  the  east  who  had 
been  forced  to  mortgage  their  farms  under  the  money 
famine  brought  about  by  contraction,  sold  out  for  what 
they  could  get,  took  their  money  and  such  stock  as 
they  had  not  been  forced  to  sell,  in  order  to  live,  and 
came  to  the  new  Eldorado  to  secure  as  soon  as  possible 
a  farm  on  the  odd  sections  of  government  land  that  had 
not  been  given  away. 

It  was  a  great  grain  country  and  ready  for  the  plow, 
and  those  who  had  by  bad  legislation  been  robbed  and 
crowded  out  in  the  east,  found  themselves  once  more, 
endowed  by  nature,  with  the  greatest  of  all  gifts — a 
home. 

Every  ox,  and  even  the  cows,  were  yoked  and  the 
prairies  were  overturned;  great  fields  of  wheat,  corn 
and  barley  took  the  place  of  the  native  grass;  houses 
and  barns  sprang  up  as  if  by  magic,  on  every  hand  and 
all  was  life  and  business. 

But  even  here  on  these  great  prairies,  these  hardy 
pioneers  were  destined  not  to  escape  the  well  laid 
schemes  of  Shylock,  for  when  their ,  rich  crop  was 
harvested  they  "found  the  prices  so  low  and  cost  of 
shipping  so  high,  that  it  would  take  half  of  their  grain 
to  buy  lumber  to  properly  store  the  other  half  for 
their  own  use. 

As  harvest  time  was  near,  Frank  concluded  to  go  to 
the  country,  for  the  shops,  even  in  Kansas  City,  were 
well  supplied  with  help;  so  he  took  the  cars  west,  and 
went  to  a  small  town  situated  in  the  midst  of  great 
fields  of  grain,  and  hired  to  a  farmer  of  the  name  of 
Bradshaw,  who  was  in  town  looking  for  hands,  and 
worked  for  him  during  harvest. 

It  was  the  year  for  State  and  Congressional  elections 
and  politics  ran  high;  three  out  of  four  were  Republi 
cans  and  voted  the  straight  ticket,  while  at  the* same 


82  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

time,  feeling  that  something  was  going  wrong  at 
Washington;  otherwise  the  country  could  never  have 
drifted  into  such  a  terrible  condition. 

There  were  a  few  old  Greenbackers  in  the  neighbor 
hood  and  they  were  constantly  twitting  the  Republicans 
about  the  scarcity  of  money,  hard  times,  and  low 
prices  and  asserting  that  government  had  destroyed  the 
money  of  the  country  when  it  was  so  much  needed  in 
circulation.  For  a  long  time  these  good,  old,  honest 
Republicans  were  at  a  loss  for  argument;  it  was  hard 
to  explain  why  there  should  be  so  much  distress  in  the 
midst  of  plenty. 

A  great  and  extensive  country,  industrious  people, 
good  crops,  a  surplus  of  everything;  gold  and  silver 
mines  yielding  millions  of  dollars  monthly,  at  peace 
with  the  world,  and  in  the  midst  of  all  these  great 
blessings,  small  business  men  were  being  forced  to  the 
wall,  farmers,  after  working  from  daylight  till  dark  to 
mature  a  crop,  after  selling  the  same  at  beggarly 
prices,  were  forced  to  mortgage  their  land  to  the  bank 
or  money  lenders,  for  enough  money  to  carry  them 
through  the  winter;  thousands  of  men  out  of  employ 
ment;  farmers  in  Kansas  burning  corn  for  fuel,  while 
people  in  the  cities  were  starving  for  bread. 

How  to  account  for  all  this  misery  in  the  midst  of 
plenty,  without  everlastingly  condemning  John  Sher 
man  and  other  political  leaders  and  other  good 
republicans,  was  a  hard  question  to  solve,  but  at  last 
the  solution  came  through  the  fertile  brain  of  some 
good  statesman  and  advocate  of  a  gold  standard, 
probably  John  Sherman. 

The  wisdom  of  these  gold  speculators  is  wonderful; 
they  are  like  an  oracle,  there  is  nothing  so  absurd 
they  cannot  explain  it,  and  in  a  way  favorable  to 
themselves.  And  this  great  statesman  in  his  speech 
which  the  gold  power  has  had  printed  in  all  their 
papers,  proved  himself  master  of  the  situation  and 
declared  to  the  world  the  prime  cause  of  the  very 
remarkable  depression  in  business. 

"It  is  over-production,"  said  he,  "yes,  over-pro 
duction.  " 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  83 

Republicans  had  been  looking  for  the  solution  of  the 
question  lor  a  long  time  and  it  was  a  wonderful  relief; 
the  big  papers  kept  it  in  head  lines,  the  small  papers 
had  it  spread  all  over  their  patent  back,  stump  speakers 
spoke  it,  quiet  people  talked  it;  it  was  short,  it  was 
easy,  and  the  ^ood  people  who  were  fearful  that  the 
"Rebs. "  would  get  in  power  through  the  bad  manage 
ment  of  the  Republicans,  hailed  it  as  a  salvation  cry; 
even  children  sang  it  as  they  came  from  school  and  it 
was  considered  a  fair  answer  to  any  argument  intro 
duced  or  advanced  by  men,  troubled  with  what  at  that 
time  was  called  by  the  money  power,  the  Greenback 
craze,  and  no  people,  perhaps,  ever  rode  a  more 
successful  hobby. 

While  Frank  was  at  this  place  he  attended  a 
farmers'  meeting  where  the  financial  situation  was  under 
discussion.  The  meeting  was  non-partisan  and  every 
body  had  a  right  to  participate  in  the  debate.  The 
Democrats  had  very  little  to  say.  The  Republicans 
insisted  that  all  the  ills  had  come  from  over-produc 
tion,  but  could  offer  no  remedy;  when  finally,  an  old- 
time  greenbacker  was  called  and  said: 

"Gentlemen,  admitting  that  over-production  is  the 
cause  of  our  great  financial  distress,  where  shall  we 
look  for  a  remedy?  A  few  years  ago  we  had  an  over 
production  of  greenbacks.  It  hurt  no  one  but  the 
bankers  and  money  lenders.  It  was  very  hard  on  them, 
so  our  law  makers  commenced  destroying  the  green 
backs,  and  the  times  became  better  for  the  bond 
holders,  bankers,  and  gold  men.  They  have  made 
millions  and  are  growing  richer  every  day.  Now  we 
have  an  over-production  of  everything  but  money;  we 
have  worked  too  hard  and  produced  too  much  grain, 
too  many  horses,  too  many  cattle,  in  fact,  there  is 
nothing  that  will  sell. 

"There  seems  to  be  an  over-production  of  men. 
Everyone  knows  that  there  are  too  many  men;  half  of 
them  cannot  get  work.  If  destroying  the  money 
would  make  such  good  times  for  the  bankers  and  men 
who  have  gold  to  loan,  the  same  remedy  ought  to  apply 
now.  It  is  a  parallel  case.  Then  it  was  an  over- 


84  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC, 

production  of  money.  To  follow  up  the  same  plan  in 
our  case,  we  would  have  to  insist  upon  the  passing  of 
an  Act  in  Congress  similar  to  that  authorizing  the 
destruction  of  the  greenbacks. 

"As  there  is  an  over-production  of  men,  have  a  part 
of  them  destroyed;  kill  off  all  kinds  of  stock — cattle, 
hogs  and  horses — until  you  bring  about  an  equilibrium 
between  property  and  money.  You  see  there  has  been 
such  an  over-production  of  property  and  people,  that 
the  money  which  would  be  plentiful  at  one  time,  will 
not  do  now. 

"So,  gentlemen,  it  seems  to  me,  it  would  be  just  as 
reasonable  to  destroy  the  people  and  property  now,  as 
it  was  to  destroy  the  best  money  we  had — the  green 
backs.  I  would  suggest  that  government  increase  the 
circulation  by  issuing  a  new  lot  of  greenbacks,  buy  up 
the  government  bonds  and  stop  the  interest;  then,  if 
the  people  complain  of  having  too  much  money,  I 
would  suggest  that  they  demonetize  gold. 

"The  reason  why  we  always  have  good  times  after  a 
war,  is  not  on  account  of  the  destruction,  but  because 
a  large  amount  of  money  has  been  turned  loose.  The 
reason  we  always  have  good  times  in  a  rich  gold  min 
ing  camp,  is  becuse  the  gold  is  so  easily  converted 
into  money,  that  when  a  large  quantity  of  gold  is 
being  taken  out  by  the  miners,  a  great  deal  of  money 
goes  into  circulation  and  this,  and  nothing  else,  makes 
good  times. 

"The  people  of  the  United  States  to-day,  are  study 
ing  machinery  and  inventions  of  all  kinds,  and  how  to 
produce  all  the  good  things  of  life,  and  are  leaving  the 
management  of  the  government  to  Shysters;  these 
Shysters  are  controlled  by  money  kings  and  they  are 
all  having  their  own  way;  but  when  this  period  of 
invention  is  past  and  the  people  turn  their  attention  to 
government,  those  who  live  to  see  it  will  learn  that 
hard  times,  unless  caused  by  some  natural  calamity, 
comes  from  bad  legislation,  and  when  the  causes  are 
removed  the  unfavorable  conditions  will  disappear. 

"If  any  man  is  in  doubt  that  the  present  hard  times 
are  directly  the  result  of  class  and  dishonest  money 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  85 

legislation,  all  he  need  do  is  to  lay  aside  his  political 
and  party  prejudice  and  investigate.  The  case  will  be 
found  so  clear  that  he  will  have  no  difficulty  in  arriv 
ing  at  a  logical  conclusion." 

Mr.  Bradshaw  had  two  married  sons  who  had  taken 
land  adjoining^  him.  The  family,  like  thousands  of 
other  families,  had  been  crowded  out  in  the  east  by 
the  hard  times  and  falling  prices,  which  commenced 
with  the  destruction  of  the  national  money  in  the 
interest  of  gold,  and  continued  until  the  stringency 
became  so  wide-spread  and  disastrous  in  its  effects 
that  even  the  great  hobby  of  over-production,  failed  to 
satisfy. 

Persons  familiar  with  the  history  of  the  United 
States  will  remember  that  this  destruction  was  the 
result  of  the  Contraction  Act  passed  by  the  Congress 
of  1865,  and  was  pushed  through  by  the  same  leaders 
who  were  afterward  instrumental  in  giving  away  the 
government  lands  to  private  corporations.  It  is  a 
notable  fact,  though  not  to  be  greatly  wondered  at, 
that  many  of  these  men  are  to-day  very  wealthy,  and 
others  are  numbered  among  our  millionaires. 

Mr.  Bradshaw  had  also  two  sons  and  two  daughters 
living  at  home,  unmarried.  Frank  was  pleased  to  find 
the  place  so  home-like,  and  when  they  found  he  was  a 
son  of  Col.  Bundy,  they  made  him  one  of  the  family. 
It  happened  that  the  eldest  son  had  known  Col  Bundy 
in  the  army,  and  had  been  with  him  in  some  of  the 
most  hotly  contested  battles  of  the  late  war  and 
admired  his  noble  character. 

The  harvest  season  passed  off  pleasantly,  the  tables 
were  well  supplied  with  good  things;  good  beds  were 
provided,  and  lunch  brought  regularly  to  the  field  by 
one  of  the  girls.  To  make  things  more- agreeable,  the 
young  people  of  the  neighborhood  would  gather  at  Mr. 
Bradshaw' s  every  Saturday  night  and  dance  till  twelve 
o'clock.  By  the  time  harvesting  and  threshing  were 
over,  Frank  had  learned  to  love  and  appreciate  the 
people  of  the  whole  neighborhood. 

Mr.  Bradshaw  had  hurried  to  market  a  large  portion 
of  his  crop,  in  order  to  raise  a  little  money  to  pay 


86  AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

harvest  hands,  grocery  bills  and  buy  a  little  lumber  to 
build  a  granary  to  store  what  was  left.  As  the  price 
of  wheat  was  so  low  that  he  would  be  short  of  money, 
he  decided  to  take  the  team  and  one  of  the  boys  and 
go  over  to  where  the,  Santa  Fe  railroad  was  building, 
and  work  on  the  road  long  enough  to  make  what  money 
would  be  necessary  to  pay  grocery  bills,  buy  a  few 
clothes  and  schooibooks;  also  pay  taxes,  which  were 
no  small  item;  in  this  way  he  could  avoid  putting  a 
mortgage  on  his  farm,  as  he  had  done  to  his  sorrow, 
in  Illinois. 

"It  looks  rather  hard,"  said  Mr.  Bradshaw,  "for  a 
man  who  owns  as  good  a  farm  as  I,  with  a  surplus  of 
corn,  wheat,  barley,  with  fat  hogs  and  cattle,  to  be 
compelled  to  go  from  home  to  work  for  some  rich  cor 
poration,  in  order  to  get  money  to  live  on  and  school 
my  children,  and  in  a  free  school  at  that;  but  such  is 
contraction." 

"I'll  tell  you  what  is  a  fact,"  said  his  oldest  son, 
who  was  a  well-read  man,  "these  greenback  men  are 
right  about  the  hard  times;  there  is  no  shadow  of 
doubt  but  what  we  are  being  robbed  by  the  gold 
power,  either  through  the  ignorance  or  dishonesty  of 
Congressmen;  but  the  trouble  is,  it  we  leave  the 
Republican  party,  then  the  Democrats  and  the  South 
will  get  in  power  and  we  are  liable  to  have  another 
war;  so  it  is  hard  to  tell  where  this  thing  will  end." 

In  accordance  with  Mr.  Bradshaw's  earnest  solicita 
tion,  Frank  decided  to  accompany  him  to  the  railroad 
and  drive  one  of  his  teams.  A  couple  of  days  took 
them  to  the  work,  and  Frank  was  soon  driving  a 
scraper-team  on  a  ten-foot  fill.  The  work  was  hard 
and  the  hours  long,  but  his  team  was  a  good  one  and 
everything  worked  well.  A  few  teams  on  an  adjoining 
job,  which  were  owned  by  the  Contractor,  were  badly 
worn  out  and  he  often  saw  the  boss  get  among  them 
with  a  shovel  and  beat  them  cruelly.  It  fairly  made 
his  blood  boil  to  see  such  abuse  of  the  dumb  animals. 
He  also  noticed  the  accommodations  about  the  camp 
were  of  the  poorest  kind  and  the  bosses  all  seemed  to 
be  possessed  of  a  very  domineering  spirit.  The  outfit 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  7 

also   had   two  tent-saloons,  supposed  to  belong  to  out 
side  parties,  but  really  were  owned  by  themselves. 

These  saloons  would  always  get  back  a  large  part  of 
the  money  in  a  few  days  after  the  men  were  paid  off; 
in  fact,  it  appeared  that  at  least  one-third  of  their  men 
simply  worked  for  their  board  and  a  little  whiskey. 

Frank  staid  with  the  job  several  days,  but  it  seemed 
to  him  the  men  were  treated  more  like  dogs  than  men 
and  he  could  not  help  saying  to  Mr.  Bradshaw,  it 
seemed  as  if,  under  the  present  system  of  financial 
legislation,  labor  would  become  more  dishonorable 
than  slavery. 

Late  one  afternofin,  after  Frank  had  been  having  a 
hard  pull  all  day,  up  a  steep  bank,  and  his  horses 
were  very  tired,  as  he  reached  the  top  of  the  bank, 
one  of  the  bosses  hit  his  near  horse  with  a  rock; 
Frank  stopped  the  team,  dropped  the  lines,  sprang  at 
the  boss  and  knocked  him  off  the  bank  and  he  fell  into 
the  pit,  landing  across  the  doubletree  of  another  team. 
The  men  in  the  pit  thought  he  was  killed,  but  he  soon 
recovered  and  crawled  out  and  the  work  went  on  as 
usual.  Frank  expected  to  be  discharged  but  was  not ; 
on  the  other  hand,  they  discharged  the  boss  and  offered 
him  the  place.  He  decided  to  leave  such  a  rough 
place  and  in  one  week  was  in  Sacramento. 

He  arrived  in  the  city  on  Sunday  night  and  on  Mon 
day  morning  started  out  and,  in  the  course  of  the  day 
visited  every  shop  in  the  city,  only  to  find  them 
crowded  as  in  the  east,  and  some  of  their  men  laying 
off;  others  on  half  time.  At  the  hotel,  he  met  parties 
from  San  Francisco,  who  reported  the  same  condition 
of  things  there.  He  said  to  himself/  "such  is  the 
effect  of  contraction." 

The  newspapers,  too,  were  full  of  accounts  of  business 
failures  all  over  the  country — from  Plymouth  Rock  in 
the  East  to  the  Golden  Gate  in  the  West.  There 
was  not  a  single  town  or  hamlet  but  felt  the  effect  of 
the  iron  law,  and  many  cursed  John  Sherman. 


CHAPTER  X. 

FRANK  at  last  resolved  to  look  for  work  on  a  farm 
and  made  his  arrangements  at  the  hotel  to  leave 
his  things  till  he  came  or  sent  for  them.  He  started  on 
foot  into  the  country.  The  day  was  hot  and  he  had  a 
good  introduction  to  California  dust.  There  were 
houses  and  farms  on  each  side  of  the  street.  Frank 
stopped  at  several  of  them,  only  to  be  treated  more  as 
an  intruder  than  as  a  free-born  citizen  of  America 
looking  for  work.  If  they  talked  to  him  at  all,  it  was 
to  tell  him  of  the  hard  times  and  as  this  news  did  not 
interest  him,  he  kept  moving  on  till  he  came  to  a  very 
neat  cottage,  with  a  small  barn,  a  large,  well-kept 
orchard  near  by,  and  he  determined  to  stop  and  make 
some  inquiries.  In  passing  along  the  walk  to  the  door 
of  the  cottage,  he  was  struck  with  the  beauty  of  the 
grounds.  Flowers  of  many  varieties,  semi-tropical 
plants,  gave  the  place  a  charming  appearance  to  our 
young  traveller.  He  knocked  on  the  door  and  in 
repsonse  a  light  footstep  approached  the  door  and  it 
was  opened,  disclosing  the  face  and  form  of  one  of 
California's  belles.  As  her  eyes  met  those  of  the 
stranger,  she  gave  a  dignified  bow.  Frank  felt  the 
peculiar  coldness  of  her  manner  and  at  once  inquired 
for  the  man  of  the  house,  and  at  the  same  time  stated 
his  business.  When  he  had  finished,  instead  of  invit 
ing  him  in,  she  simply  told  him  to  wait  around  till  her 
father  came  from  the  field,  then  shut  the  door.  Frank 
hesitated  a  moment  and  would  have  gone  on  his  way 
if  he  had  not  just  then  discovered  the  father  in  the 
orchard,  so  off  he  started  to  talk  with  him. 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  89 

The  farmer  told  him  he  had  plenty  of  work  and 
needed  help,  but  money  was  so  scarce  it  was  almost 
impossible  to  get  enough  together  to  pay  a  man.  He 
could  market  almost  anything  by  taking  trade,  but 
there  seemed  to  be  a  money  famine.  If  he  would  take 
a  horse  he  would-^give  him  a  job,  but  Frank  wanted  no 
horse.  Finally,  seeing  the  stranger  was  young  and 
stout,  he  concluded  to  give  him  a  job  for  a  fews  days 
and  if  he  could  raise  the  money  he  might  keep  him 
longer.  As  they  were  talking  they  had  been  quietly 
walking  toward  the  house,  and  when  they  reached  the 
barn  the  farmer  asked,  "Where  are  your  blankets?" 
"Blankets,"  said  Frank,  thinking  that 'the  farmer  must 
mean  a  trunk  or  a  valise.  "I  have  no  blankets." 

The  farmer,  seeing  Frank's  discomfiture,  asked  him 
how  long  he  had  been  in  California,  and  on  learning 
that  he  had  just  arrived,  informed  him  that  it  was  not 
customary  for  employers  to  furnish  beds  in  this  country, 
but  that  laborers  carried  their  blankets  with  them. 

"But  suppose  a  man  is  on  foot,  how  is  he  to  have 
his  bed  with  him?" 

"Pack  it  on  his  back,"  said  the  farmer. 

"Do  I  really  understand  you  to  say,  Mr.  Hargrave — 
for  this  was  the  farmer's  name — that  men  who  work  on 
farms  in  this  country  are  forced  to  pack  their  beds 
upon  their  backs  from  place  to  place  and  sleep  in 
barns,  around  haystacks  and  on  the  ground,  along  the 
leeward  side  of  the  fence?" 

"That  is  the  custom  of  this  country,"  said  Mr.  Har 
grave,  "and  it  is  one  that  cannot  well  be  altered  from 
the  simple  fact  that  a  majority  of  the  working  men  of 
this  country  are  drunkards,  vulgar,  dirty  and  not  fit  to 
be  taken  into  a  family." 

"I  am  astonished,"  said  Frank,  "and  how  men  could 
be  otherwise,  when  sleeping  around  haystacks  and  so 
completely  isolated  from  society  I  cannot  see. " 

Feeling  the  justice  of  Frank's  remarks,  Mr.  Har 
grave  said  that  he  had  always  allowed  his  men  to  sleep 
in  the  barn,  but  there  were  a  great  many  men  who 
would  not  on  account  of  fire. 

Mr.  Hargrave  was  rather    pleased    with    the    young 


90  AN    1J)EAL    REPUBLIC. 

man's  independence  and  said  that  he  would  see  the 
women  and  if  they  could  make  arrangements  for  him 
they  would  do  so.  So  without  inviting  Frank  into  the 
house,  he  passed  in  himself  to  consult  with  the  women 
as  to  the  advisability  of  allowing  a  common  working 
man  to  occupy  one  of  their  spare  beds  for  a  few  days. 
Frank,  full  of  indignation,  started  off,  stopped,  waited 
.again,  but  the  longer  he  waited  the  more  indignant  he 
became,  until  finally  he  walked  off  and  a  few  hours' 
lively  walk  brought  him  to  one  of  California's  large 
ranches.  He  had  been  told  that  they  employed  a  great 
many  men  and  that  he  would  be  likely  to  get  work. 
The  house  was  back  from  the  road  and  at  the  gate  was 
posted  in  large  letters  the  following:  "No  men  wanted. 
Don't  stop."  This  was  a  stunner,  but  Frank  pushed 
on.  Occasionally  he  met  men  with  their  blankets  on 
their  backs  and  he  began  to  realize  that  what  the 
farmer  had  told  him  was  really  true.  He  had  noticed 
that  they  generally  traveled  in  twos,  and  sometimes  in 
threes.  As  there  were  thousands  of  men  on  the  road, 
he  soon  met  a  couple.  One  was  an  Irishman  and  the 
other  a  Hoosier.  On  being  hailed,  they  dropped  their 
bedding  and  used  the  roll  for  a  seat.  They  each  had 
a  fruit  can  which  they  used  to  make  coffee  in,  and  with 
a  little  coffee  and  a  few  crackers,  there  was  no  telling 
how  far  they  could  travel  without  other  expense.  They 
were  covered  with  dust  and  sweat  which  made  them 
look  rough,  but  Frank  fancied  that  back  of  all  this  dirt 
he  could  see  an  intelligence  in  each  that  spoke  of 
better  days. 

"Where  are  you  from?"  said  Pat. 

"Kansas,"  said  Frank. 

"The  divil  take  yez,"  said  Pat,  "there  is  so  many 
Kansas  men  here  that  there  is  no  work  for  anybody." 

"What  part  of  the  country  are  you  from?"  said  Frank. 

"From  every  place  but  this,"  said  Pat,  "but  we  have 
been  working  around  San  Berdu  and  Los  Angeles  for 
the  last  couple  of  months  and  niver  a  bit  of  work  will 
you  get  down  there.  The  lower  country  is  full  of  men 
that  would  steal  a  coat  or  anything  to  get  in  jail  so  as 
to  get  a  bite  to  eat." 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  91 

"Is  there  no  work  this  side  of  there?" 

"Not  a  bit  of  it." 

"No  work  on  the  sections?" 

"Sections?"  said  Pat,  "sure  and  it  is  there  that  you' 11 
find  the  Chinamen.  There  is  no  show  for  a  white  man 
this  side  of  Ari2ona.  The  Railroad  Companies  have 
shipped  in  and  are  now  working  over  five  thousand 
Chinamen  in  California,  and  there  are  thousands  of 
white  men  who  can't  get  a  job.  Stanford,  Crocker, 
and  Huntington  all  ought  to  be  hung." 

Frank  felt  as  though  there  was  more  or  less  justice 
in  the  remark.  After  chatting  and  resting  awhile  the 
party  separated,  each  going  his  own  way. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening  Frank  met  a  great  many 
men,  all  carrying  blankets,  and  all  told  the  same  story 
about  work. 

At  last  he  came  to  another  big  ranch  where  there 
were  many  men  at  work  putting  up  the  fall  crop  of 
alfalfa  hay.  As  it  was  growing  late  he  made  up  his 
mind,  if  possible,  to  stay  there  all  night,  and  on  see 
ing  the  foreman  he  was  agreeably  disappointed  at 
being  kindly  received,  and  the  gentleman  not  only 
allowed  him  to  stay  but  loaned  him  a  pair  of  blankets 
and  gave  him  permission  to  sleep  in  the  stack.  This 
seemed  rather  humiliating  to  Frank,  but,  thought  he, 
"when  you  are  in  Rome  you  must  do  as  Romans  do." 

On  the  following  morning,  seeing  that  Frank  was 
stout  and  young,  the  foreman  decided  to  give  him  a 
job  through  the  balance  of  the  haying;  so  he  went  to 
work  and  found  the  place  run  very  much  as  the  Rail 
road  Company  in  Kansas,  that  is,  on  the  same  principle, 
only  they  had  no  saloons,  but  as  for  accommodations, 
he  noticed  that  they  put  the  horses  in  the  stables  and 
the  men  slept  outside. 

It  might  be  here  observed  that  this  custom  of  com 
pelling  men  to  pack  their  beds  with  them  in  order  to 
get  work  on  farms  continues  in  California  to  the  present 
day.  It  originated  in  the  peculiar  way  in  which  Cali 
fornia  was  invaded  by  adventurers  and  gold-hunters  in 
early  days,  who,  by  force  of  necessity  carried  their 
beds  as  they  went  out  in  search  of  gold,  and  its  present 


Q2  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

degrading  effect  upon  labor  is  plainly  marked  in  this; 
a  large  per  cent  of  the  laboring  men  are  drunkards. 
When  a  job  is  ended  and  they  get  their  money,  they 
go  to  the  nearest  saloon  and  drink  as  long  as  the  money 
lasts,  then  start  out  "dead-broke"  to  hunt  another  job. 
They  never  speak  to  a  woman,  except  to  ask  some 
farmer's  wife  for  food,  and  the  inside  of  a  church 
would  be  as  strange  to  one  of  them  as  an  electric  dis 
play  to  an  Apache  Indian. 

This  state  of  things  exists  to  an  alarming  extent 
wherever  blanket-packing  is  common,  and  to  that  con 
dition  it  is  largely  due.  The  people  of  California  should 
blush  for  shame  for  allowing  such  a  degrading  custom 
to  exist  in  what  should  be  the  Paradise  of  America. 
If  it  cannot  be  stopped  in  any  other  way,  the  Legisla 
ture  should  pass  a  bill  making  it  a  crime  to  carry 
blankets  upon  the  road,  and  employers  for  failing  to 
provide  good,  clean,  healthy  sleeping  apartments  should 
be  made  amenable  to  the  law. 

Frank  finished  his  work  in  this  place  in  about  a 
month  and  was  offered  a  chance  to  drive  an  eight-mule 
team;  but  not  considering  himself  competent  for  that, 
he  went  down  to  Fresno  and  Bakersfield.  He  could 
hear  of  no  work  but  continually  met  men  with  their 
blankets,  all  miserable  and  dirty  from  sleeping  outside; 
they  all  told  the  same  old  story  of  hard  times  and 
no  work. 

He  tramped  on  down  to  Los  Angeles  and  found 
reports  had  not  been  exaggerated.  The  sidewalks  were 
lined  with  men  seeking  employment.  He  was  aston 
ished  to  find  how  many  intelligent  minds  were  hidden 
beneath  frizzly  hair  and  shaggy  beards.  "There  is 
something  morally  wrong,"  said  he  to  himself,  "with 
the  laws  which  control  man's  destiny;  otherwise  igno 
rance  beneath  silk  hats  would  not  be  so  common,  nor 
intelligence  among  the  outcasts." 

He  saw  men  standing  on  every  corner,  watching  for 
a  chance  to  go  to  work.  If  a  farmer  drove  up  a  half 
dozen  men  would  flock  about  him  at  once.  Amid  all 
this  scramble  for  work  he  noticed  several  large  Bulletin- 
boards  on  which  were  inscribed:  "wanted/*  and  then 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  93 

would  follow  a  list  like  this:  "Men  for  farm  work, 
men  for  apiaries  and  men  for  many  different  kinds  of 
work.  Frank  was  puzzled  to  understand  why  men  were 
looking  for  work,  when  so  many  men  were  wanted;  so 
after  looking  about  as  long  as  he  wished  and  not  find 
ing  even  the  shadow  of  a  chance  to  get  a  job,  he  went 
into  an  employment  office.  He  found  himself  in  a 
small,  dirty  looking  room,  with  benches  around  the 
wall;  adjoining  this  room  was  another;  but  an  aperture 
was  made  in  the  wall  to  talk  through. 

A  hungry  looking  crowd  were  sitting  about  on  the 
benches  when  Frank  entered,  and  after  making  a  survey 
of  the  room  to  see  that  there  was  no  immediate  danger 
of  being  robbed,  for  the  very  atmosphere  seemed  to 
impress  him  that  he  was  in  a  robber's  roost,  he  pre 
sented  himself  at  the  hole  in  the  wall  and  knocked; 
soon  a  man  approached  from  the  opposite  side  of  the 
opening,  and  with  an  idiotic  stare,  waited  for  Frank 
to  make  knowa  his  business.  The  air  o;  superiority 
which  this  man  assumed,  made  Frank  feel  a?  if  he  had 
entered  the  office  of  a  Vanderbilt  or  a  Gould.  He  soon 
rallied,  however,  and  in  as  few  words  as  possible, 
explained  that  he  wanted  work. 

"What  kind  of  work  do  you  want?"  was  asked. 

"I  am  a  boiler-maker," 

"No  work  of  that  kind,  but  can  give  you  a  job  of 
general  work  about  machinery,  if  you  will  go  to  San 
Bernardino. " 

"What  are  your  charges?" 

"Two  dollars." 

Frank  paid  the  money  and  received  a  card  to  John 
son  &  Co.,  for  work  at  three  dollars  per  day.  He  then 
went  to  the  Depot,  paid  $2.50  for  a  ticket  and  the 
following  morning  presented  himself  to  Johnson  &  Co. 
for  work.  The  foreman  of  the  shop  looked  at  the 
paper  and  said  in  an  indignant  manner:  "What  does 
that  Los  Angeles  man  mean?  I  sent  him  an  order  for 
a  man  a  month  ago  and  you  are  the  third  man  he  has 
sent.  I  will  notify  him  this  very  evening  to  send  no 
more  men.  I  would  like  to  give  every  man  employ 
ment,  if  I  could,  but  I  cannot,"  "You  see,"  he  said, 


94  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

sarcastically:  "There  has  been  an  over-production 
of  men." 

"But  how  am  I  to  get  my  money  back,"  said  Frank? 

"Oh  if  you  go  back  to  the  Office  that  sent  you,  they 
will  not  dare  refuse  to  refund  your  money  and  you 
might  be  able  to  collect  damages,  if  you  are  able  to  go 
to  law.  Justice  has  to  be  bought  now;  the  men  who 
buy  a  chance  to  go  to  work  are  not  able  to  go  into  law, 
so  the  matter  goes  right  on  and  nine  men  out  of  ten 
never  go  back  to  Los  Angeles,  simply  because  there  is 
always  a  surplus  of  men  there,  and  the  railroad  fare 
will  amount  to  more  than  two  dollars." 

"It  is,  then,"  said  Frank,  "a  kind  of  confidence 
scheme,  legalized  or,  at  least,  not  prohibited  by  the 
great  State  ot  California  and  City  of  Los  Angeles." 

Taking  in  the  situation  as  thousands  had  done  be 
fore,  rather  than  attempt  to  get  his  money  back  at 
ten  times  its  cost,  he  resolved  to  go  to  Arizona. 

At  the  hotel  he  fell  in  with  a  man  who,  in  spite  of 
his  rough  and  weather-beaten  appearance,  seemed  to 
be  a  gentleman.  Frank  soon  learned  that  he  belonged 
to  that  peculiar  and  shifty  class  of  individuals  who  are 
to  be  found  throughout  the  mining  regions  of  the  west, 
known  as  explorers  or  prospectors.  They  generally 
have  a  few  burros,  saddles  and  packing  outfit  and  with 
a  load  of  "grub,"  they  go  into  the  mountains  to  hunt 
for  mines  and  stay  until  they  run  short  of  provisions; 
then  with  a  collection  of  ore,  they  go  to  the  nearest 
trading  post  for  supplies.  When  they  run  out  of 
money,  they  put  their  burros  and  outfit  in  a  sate  place, 
go  to  some  mine  that  is  running,  and  when  they  have 
replenished  their  pocket  books,  go  back  to  the  moun 
tains  and  sometimes  discover  a  rich  mine  of  gold  or 
silver,  and  as  it  takes  money  to  work  them,  they  are 
soon  gobbled  up  by  gold-mongers,  who  never  expose 
themselves  to  rain  and  storm,  but  under  our  present 
system,  reap  'all  the  benefits  of  these  vast  gold  and 
silver  regions. 

The  name  of  this  man  was  Crosby.  He  told  Frank 
he  had  been  working  on  rock  not  far  from  there;  that 
he  had  finished  the  job  and  was  now  going  back  to 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  95 

Arizona  to  prospect.  He  had  left  his  outfit  at  Yuma 
and  would  start  that  night. 

"What  is  the  fare  to  Yuma,"  asked  Frank? 

"Twenty  dollars, "  said  the  man,  "but  I  can  get  through 
in  a  box-car  for  two  dollars,  and  if  I  can  be  lucky 
enough  to  strike-an  empty  car,  I  can  spread  down  my 
blankets  and  be  very  comfortable,  and  there  is  very 
little  difference  in  time." 

"I  believe  that  would  be  a  good  way  for  me  to  go," 
said  Frank. 

"Why,  of  course,  if  you  wish  to  go,  stay  with  me 
and  I  will  see  you  through  all  right." 

"Another  swindle,"  thought  Frank,  "but  our  whole 
social  structure  seems  to  be  based  on  fraud,  from  Wall 
Street  to  the  President,  and  from  the  President  down. 
Why  should  a  man  have  any  scruples?" 

After  supper  the  men  paid  their  bills,  the  prospector 
took  his  big  roll  of  blankets  and  they  started  for  the 
depot.  It  was  quite  dark  when  they  reached  the  place. 
The  freight  train  was  about  ready  to  start,  and  one  of 
the  brakemen  was  coming  down  the  train,  not  only  to 
see  that  the  cars  were  all  right,  but  more  particularly 
to  see  if  there  was  a  chance  to  make  a  dollar. 

"Hello,  pard, "  said  the  prospector,  as  they  met  the 
brakeman,  "what's  the  show  for  a  ride?" 

"Where  do  you  want  to  go?" 

"Yuma,"  was    the    reply. 

"Got   any   stuff?" 

"Well,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  pard,  I've  been  on  a 
h — 1  of  a  drunk  and  Pm  all  broke  up  and  plum  busted, 
but  I  guess  my  partner  has  got  a  little  money." 

"Pll  take  you  both  to  Yuma  for  a  V." 

"Jerusalem,"  said  Frank,  who  had  been  thoroughly 
posted  before-hand,  "we  can't  go  on  this  train  for 
that's  more  money  than  I've  got." 

"How  much  you  got?"  said  the  brakeman. 

"Three  dollars." 

"That  won't  do,  must  have  four  dollars." 

After  a  short  silence,  the  prospector  said,  "we'll  have 
to  wait  for  another  train,"  and  the  two  rnen  started 
to  walk  off, 


96  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

"Hold  on,"  said  the  brakeman,  I'll  take  you  through. 
I  always  hate  to  leave  a  man." 

So  the  three  men  went  along  up  the  train  till  they 
came  to  an  empty  car.  The  brakeman  slipped  the  door 
to  one  side  to  let  the  two  men  pass  in  and  then  closed 
it  again.  The  prospector  was  not  long  in  spreading 
his  blankets  down  at  one  end  of  the  car  and  the  two 
men  were  comfortably  fixed  for  a  long  ride.  As  they 
stopped  ai  night  to  take  on  water,  the  brakeman  came 
to  them,  got  his  three  dollars  and  told  them  he  would 
let  them  know  when"  they  got  to  Yuma.  On  arriving 
there,  they  took  breakfast  at  a  Chinese  restaurant. 
The  prospector  went  to  the  outskirts  of  the  town  to  see 
a  Mexican  with  whom  he  had  left  his  prospecting  outfit. 
Finding  everything  all  right,  he  bought  a  bill  of  pro 
visions.  Frank  helped  him  to  pack  and  they  went 
outside  of  town  and  camped.  The  prospector,  Mr. 
Wm.  Crosby,  insisted  on  Frank  going  with  him  on  the 
trip  and  there  being  no  additional  expense,  as  Mr. 
Crosby  had  a  complete  outfit,  he  consented.. 

After  buying  an  additional  bill  of  goods  they  started 
for  Errinsburg,  which  they  reached  in  about  five  days. 
From  there  they  went  into  the  Permosa  range  of 
mountains  where  they  found  some  good  quartz,  but 
water  would  have  to  be  brought  from  Tisen's  wells,  a 
distance  of  ten  miles,  so  they  pushed  on  to  the  old 
Centennial  Mill.  This  mill  was  a  fine  piece  of 
machinery  that  must  have  cost  from  fifty  to  seventy- 
five  thousand  dollars.  It  was  now  standing  desolate 
and  alone  on  the  desert. 

"Why  is  it,"  said  Frank,  "that  this  fine  machinery 
stands  idle  in  this  desolate  spot?" 

"I'll  tell  you,"  said  Crosby,  "there  is  a  class  of  men 
that  you  will  find  through  this  whole  mining  region, 
called  experts.  They  are  generally  self-made  and  sharp 
as  a  tack;  they  know  how  to  test  ore,  have  made  a 
study  of  Geology  and  Mineralogy  and  have  all  the  high 
sounding  terms  down  pat ;  they  can  see  through  the 
earth  and  tell  you  all  about  it— dolomite,  dilite,  por 
phyry  and  granite— and  show  you  exactly  how  they 
rnust  be  found  in  order  to  warrant  the  existence  of  rjcjj 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  97 

deposit.  In  fact,  take  one  of  these  experts  who  is  well 
posted  and  convince  him  you  have  money  in  bank,  that 
you  want  to  invest  in  mines,  and  he  will  so  completely 
befog  your  ideas  by  the  use  of  high  sounding  words, 
that  you  will  conclude  there  is  but  one  way  to  become 
a  successful  mine  operator  and  that  is  by  the  use  of  his 
peculiar  knowledge.  When  these  men  hear  of  a  new 
discovery,  they  go  to  it,  and  if  it  makes  anything  of  a 
showing  they  take  a  bond  on  it,  that  is,  they  agree  to 
pay  so  much  on  it  in  one  year;  providing  they  can 
make  a  sale,  if  not,  they  simply  don't  take  it. 

"They  then  make  a  map  of  the  property,  including 
several  claims  they  themselves  located,  adjoining  the 
discovery,  go  East  to  the  Capitol  of  some  State,  or 
other  prominent  place,  armed  with  letters  of  introduc 
tion  and  a  pocket  of  gold  nuggets  or  rich  pieces  of  ore. 
They  stop  at  the  best  hotel  in  the  place  and  soon  make 
the  acquaintance  of  two  or  three  enterprising  bankers 
who  become  impressed  with  their  wonderful  knowledge 
of  mining.  The  thing  is  to  lay  before  the  banker  a 
plan  to  make  some  money,  and  he  begins  by  present 
ing  a  map  of  the  mines;  'here,  you  will  observe,  is  the 
Silver  Bullion;  it  is  a  regular  fissure  vein,  has  well 
defined  walls  and  shows  about  six  feet  of  vein  matter; 
the  ore  is  a  lead  carbonate  with  quite  an  amount  of 
chloride  of  silver,  in  addition  to  silver  product,  it 
shows  more  or  less  free  gold. 

"  'The  grade  of  the  ore  is  not  high,  but  that  it  will 
improve  as  we  go  down  there  can  be  but  little  doubt, 
in  fact,  the  prospect  is,  that  before  we  reach  a  depth 
of  one  hundred  feet  we  will  have  a  mine  worth  half  a 
million  of  dollars.' 

Here  he  reads  over  a  list  of  some  of  the  richest 
mines  extant  and  explains  that  it  is  but  a  rare  chance 
where  they  pay  at  the  surface;  he  explains  their 
present  immense  value,  tells  a  few  big  stories  and  hauls 
from  his  pockets  a  handful  of  nuggets  and  rich  speci 
mens  of  ore  and  the  bankers  are  elated. 

"  'Here,  you  observe,'  he  continues,  'the  map  shows 
four  other  claims  discovered  and  located  by  myself;  a 


98  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

man  of  the  name  of  Patterson  discovered  the  Silver 
Bullion;  he  was  dead  busted  and  I  gave  him  a  grub 
stake  to  do  a  little  work  on  it  and  it  showed  up  fine, 
so  I  agreed  to  give  him  $1,000  for  the  claim,  to  be  paid 
in  one  year;  then  I  prospected  the  adjoining  claim  and 
I  discovered  and  located  the  Silver  Chief,  the  Gold 
Hunter,  the  Morning  Glory  and  Polar  Star,  making  a 
group  of  five  claims.  I  consider  it  one  of  the  most 
valuable  properties  in  that  country,  but  it  will  take 
capital  to  develop  and  work  it. 

"  'Now  what  I  want  is  to  organize  a  Company  to 
develop  this  property  and  I  shall  need  your  assistance; 
of  course  I  shall  make  it  an  object  for  you  to  take  hold. 

"  'My  plan  is  to  give  you,  gentlemen,  a  half  interest 
with  me  in  the  property,  with  the  understanding  that 
you  lend  me  your  assistance  in  organizing  a  Company; 
you  paying  the  expense  of  the  same;  then  we  will  issue 
$300,000  of  non-assessable  stock,  set  aside  $100,000 
for  developing  purposes  and  to  pay  off  the  $1,000  that 
I  owe  upon  the  property;  also  for  constructing  roads, 
building  mills,  buying  machinery,  etc.  Should  this, 
when  sold,  not  be  sufficient  to  put  the  mine  in  paying 
condition,  more  stock  can  be  sold  to  the  extent  of 
$200,000,  the  other  $100,000  to  be  divided  between  us 
three,  and  should  there  remain,  a  sum  unsold  out  of 
the  $200,000,  when  the  mine  pays  its  first  dividend, 
the  same  is  to  fall  to  us  and,  of  course,  be  divided 
equally.  Thus  you  see  we  shall  be  out  but  little  and 
by  careful  management,  be  able  to  still  hold  a  controll 
ing  interest.' 

'Suppose,'  said  one  of  the  bankers,  'we  take  a  third 
party  into  the  Company  with  the  understanding  that 
he  puts  up  $500  to  cover  cost  of  printing,  and  litho 
graphing  stock?' 

"The  expert  objects  a  little,  of  course,  but  soon 
consents,  another  man  is  called  in  and  soon  induced  to 
put  in  the  $500;  so  all  the  necessary  papers  are  pre 
pared  and  stock  put  on  the  market  with  flaming  adver 
tisements.  The  stock  sells,  the  names  of  these  influ 
ential  individuals  being  sufficient  recommendation,  and 
the  money  rolls  in. 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  99 

"Some  Dough-head  who  is  related  to  some  of  the 
Company  and  belongs  to  the  same  church  with  others, 
and  has  been  a  failure  all  his  life,  is  now  chosen 
Superintendent  and  the  Expert  is  made  General  Mana 
ger,  and  the  two  return  to  the  town  nearest  the  property 
and  establish  a-Branch  Office.  They  hire  a  few  men 
whom  they  send  out  to  work  on  the  prospect.  The 
Superintendent  and  General  Manager  board  at  a  first- 
class  hotel  and  hire  a  rig  once  a  month  to  visit  the 
mine  and  very  often  the  salary  and  expenses  of  these 
men  are  more  than  the  expense  of  v/ork  on  the  mine. 

"The  miners  are  anxious  to  have  the  job  hold  out, 
so  they  make  a  big  pile  of  waste-rock,  then  gather 
together  enough  ore,  if  possible,  to  cover  it  up  and  at 
last  they  strike  a  good  pocket;  the  work  stops  on  that 
shaft  and  the  men  put  to  work  on  another  claim;  the 
Company  is  notified  that  the  claim  is  proving  wonder 
fully  rich  and  a  mill  must  be  put  up  in  order  to  handle 
the  ore  and  get  the  work  on  a  paying  basis. 

"A  meeting  of  the  Company  is  called  at  once;  all 
hands  are  excited  and  count  their  wealth  by  millions; 
the  stockholders,  many  of  them,  get  on  the  cars  and 
visit  the  property  and  of  course  see  great  piles  of  ore, 
enjoy  their  trip  and  see  everything  through  amagnifying 
glass  and  they  are  not  only  fooled  themselves,  but  they 
go  home  and  deceive  all  their  friends.  They  have  seen 
the  vein,  with  its  great  walls,  the  great  piles  of  rich 
ore  which,  being  full  of  pyrites,  look  brilliant  to  a  man 
who  comes  prepared  to  see  a  rich  mine  and  has  no 
knowledge,  whatever,  of  ore. 

"How  often  have  Generals,  Statesmen  and  Journalists, 
been  shown  through  the  worthless  mines  and  their  silly 
questions  laughed  at  by  the  miners,  for  months  and 
even  years  afterward. 

"WJien  the  bankers  and  stockholders  find  themselves 
at  home  again,  everybody  wants  to  see  them  and  hear 
the  truth  about  the  matter  and  the  stock  finds  ready 
sale.  The  expert  goes  back  to  attend  to  the  purchase 
and  shipment  of  the  mill  and  takes  good  care  while 
East  to  be  pushed  for  money  and  compelled  to  sell  a 
good  share  of  his  stock  for  cash;  besides  this,  he  has 


ioo  AN   IDEAL  kEPUBLic. 

a  good  fat  salary  all  this  time  and  nothing  to  do;  and 
mow  in  building  the  mill  he  will  make  another  haul 
and  throw  a  good  purse  into  the  Superintendent's 
pocket  just  to  keep  him  still. 

"At  last  the  mill  is  complete  and  in  one  way  and 
another  the  money  has  been  gotten  away  with  and  the 
mill  that  cost  all  the  way  from  $25,000  to  $100,000, 
starts  up,  runs  ten  or  twenty  days,  then  shuts  down 
and  never  runs  again;  and  today,  scattered  through  the 
mountains  all  the  way  from  British  Columbia  on  the 
north,  to  Mexico  on  the  south,  you  will  find  valuable 
machinery,  often  in  the  most  inaccessible  places,  and 
the  moving  it  in  and  setting  up  has  alone  cost  fortunes 
upon  fortunes,  A  great  many  have  never  run  ten  days 
and  now  lie  rusting  and  only  awaiting  the  ravages  of  a 
mountain  fire." 

After  listening  to  the  story  Frank  said,  "Well,  it  is 
all  new  to  me,  but  it  seems  quite  in  keeping  with  the 
general  method  into  which  we  are  fast  drifting.  In 
every  department  of  business  you  find  dishonesty,  all 
men  in  public  service  from  the  street  car  driver  to  the 
Cabinet  officers  and  even  the  President  are  all  on  the 
beat  or  make  or  knock  down.  The  example  seems  to 
be  set  at  Washington  and  is  spreading  like  a  contagion 
throughout  the  country.  It  will  no  doubt  run  its 
course  and  then  be  stopped  suddenly,  but  in  what  way 
and  by  what  force  the  monster  will  be  grappled  it 
would  be  hard  to  conjecture.  Concentration  cf  wealth 
in  the  hands  of  a  few  seems  to  be  the  result  and  the 
overthrow  of  the  money  power  and  destruction  or 
reduction  of  all  large  estates." 

There  was  a  good  well  not  far  from  the  Centennial 
mill  and  a  little  adobe  trading  post  v/hefe  the  men 
camped.  On  the  following  day  a  rain  set  in  that 
lasted  for  three  days.  The  whole  country  was  deserted 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  mossbacks,  who  always 
stay  around  old  mining  camps  and  from  year  to  year 
relocate  old,  abandoned  prospects  waiting  for  some  one 
to  come  along  and  buy  them. 

They  are  a  very  peculiar  class  of  men  and  by  keeping 
up  notices  on  everything  that  shows  any  signs  of 


AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  10! 

mineral  they  generally  succeed  in  keeping  prospectors 
out  of  the  country,  greatly  retarding  the  growth  of  the 
camp.  They  generally  live  and  die  like  coyotes,  but 
occasionally  one  gets  in  another  man's  way  and  then 
sells  for  a  snug  sum. 

After  the  storm  had  abated,  Crosby  determined  to 
follow  along  the  south  side  of  the  Harquihala  range  in 
a  north-easterly  direction,  and  as  there  was  plenty  of 
water  in  holes,  or  what  Crosby  called  tanks,  they  were 
not  likely  to  suffer  from  want  of  water  as  was  often  the 
case.  Their  first  day's  trip  took  them  to  an  old  mine 
called  Yuma.  It  was  a  fine  looking  vein  and  several 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  work  had  been  done  on  it, 
but  for  some  cause  it  had  been  abandoned  and  was 
entirely  deserted.  A  notice  showed  that  it  had  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  a  mossback. 

"This,"  said  Crosby,  "will  show  you  how  faulty  are 
our  mining  laws.  There  has  been  a  great  deal  of 
work  done  all  through  this  country  and  a  great  many 
ledges  that  explorers  would  like  to  work  on;  but  here 
you  see  the  work  of  the  mossback.  He  holds  every 
prospect  in  the  country,  never  does  any  work  but,  dog 
in  the  manger  like,  holds  the  country  by  relocation. 
There  are  monuments  everywhere  and  if  a  prospector 
finds  anything  worth  working  for,  he  is  liable  to  have 
some  old  location  floated  onto  him. 

"In  Colorado  the  state  law  controls  the  matter  and 
to  a  great  extent  does  away  with  the  mossback.  Hence 
its  mines  are  more  prosperous  than  those  of  Arizona." 

"From  this,"  said  Frank, "it  would  appear  that  it 
takes  good  laws  to  make  a  prosperous  people." 

Passing  the  old  mine  they  camped  at  a  small  wet- 
weather  spring  about  one  mile  from  it,  and  on  the 
following  day  came  to  water  in  the  afternoon,  and  in 
what  Mr.  Crosby  said  was  a  fine  place  to  prospect,  so 
Frank  took  his  first  lesson  in  prospecting.  He  had 
already  learned  to  camp  in  the  desert  without  water, 
sleep  on  the  ground  and  listen  to  the  music  of  some 
stray  rattle  snake  that  had  been  disturbed  by  their 
presence,  and  to  shake  tarantulas  from  his  blankets  on 


IO2  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

getting  up  in  the  morning,  but  now  he  was  to  learn  to 
hunt  for  gold. 

"This  is  a  very  important  trade,"  said  Frank  to  Mr. 
Crosby,  "for  we  must  have  gold;  we  might  get  along 
without  bread;  but  whiskey  and  gold  are  two  articles 
quite  indispensable.  We  must  have  whiskey  you  see 
to  control  elections.  It  would  be  pretty  hard  for 
Americans  to  hold  an  election  without  it,  and  if  we  had 
no  gold  we  could  have  no  money;  if  we  had  no  money 
we  could  have  no  bankers,  we  could  have  no  aristoc 
racy  to  look  up  to,  so  I  can  readily  comprehend  that 
the  prosperity  of  the  human  family  is  entirely  depend 
ent  on  the  success  of  the  gold  hunter." 

Mr.  Crosby  appreciated  this  sarcasm  and  said,  "Yes, 
gold  is  the  thing  that  controls  the  world  and  a  lack  of 
it  at  one  time  might  have  been  destruction,  but  thanks 
to  the  inventive  genius  of  our  wise  men,  they  have 
discovered  a  method  by  which  they  can  supply  the 
world  with  honest  money  with  very  little  gold.  This 
they  do  by  putting  the  little  gold  there  is  in  the  vaults 
and  issuing  promises  to  pay;  of  course  millions  of 
promises  to  pay  can  be  issued  and  based  on  an 
infinitely  small  sum  of  gold,  then  all  it  wants  is  con 
fidence  to  make  it  just  as  good  as  the  gold  itself. " 

The}'  made  their  camp  under  some  trees  near  the 
water  and  near  at  hand  were  several  old  dry  trees  that 
gave  them  plenty  of  wood.  There  was  also  plenty  of 
grass  near  and  they  staked  one  burro  and  hobbled  the 
other.  After  the  camp  was  all  arranged,  Frank  built 
a  fire  and  they  had  what  he  called  a  boss  meal. 

"How  long  have  you  led  this  kind  of  a  life,"  Frank 
asked  his  companion. 

"O,  I  guess  about  fifteen  years." 

"For  God's  sake,"  said  Frank,  in  surprise,  "I  have 
just  been  thinking  that  we  ought  to  be  able  to  find  a 
mine  in  about  a  week." 

"During  the  fifteen  years,"  said  Mr.  Crosby,  "I  have 
made  several  finds  but  the  most  money  I  have  ever 
made  was  selling  a  prospect  not  worth  ten  cents. 
I  sold  it  on  the  strength  of  its  being  near  another  claim 
that  was  rich. " 


AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  1O3 

On  the  following  morning  they  started  up  the  moun 
tain  'and  every  now  and  then,  Crosby  would  pick  up 
what  he  would  call  float;  finally,  he  picked  up  a  piece 
of  copper  ore,  and  after  examining  it  carefully,  said 
that  it  was  a  good  piece  of  ore,  and  they  must  find 
the  lead.  Looking  up  the  mountain,  he  said,  "do  you 
see  that  red  streak  yonder?  That  is  possibly  where 
this  came  from;  we  will  go  up  that  way."  As  they 
continued  to  ascend,  they  found  other  pieces  of  float 
of  a  similar  character;  finally  when  they  reached  the 
place,  sure  enough,  the  virgin  copper  was  cropping  out. 
After  cleaning  the  ledge  and  examining  if  closely,  Mr. 
Crosby  said,  "this  mine  would  be  worth  a  fortune  to 
us  both,  if  we  had  it  in  a  good  location;  but  here  in 
this  wild  and  remote  region,  it  is  liable  to  be  useless 
for  many  years.  Nothing  but  silver  or  gold  will  pay 
for  working  here,  so  we  will  look  further. " 

That  night  when  the  men  returned  to  camp  they 
were  completely  worn  out.  They  continued  their 
prospecting  about  two  weeks.  They  had  found  several 
leads  and  taken  specimens  of  ore,  and  now  that  their 
supplies  were  getting  rather  low,  and  they  wanted  to 
test  some  of  their  ore,  they  decided  to  go  on  to  Phoe 
nix,  Arizona,  which  they  reached  in  four  days;  there 
they  had,  their  ore  tested  and  found  it  was  not  good 
enough  to  be  worked  at  present,  so  Crosby  wanted 
Frank  to  accompany  him  on  a  trip  into  a  range  of 
mountains  across  the  river  from  Phoenix;  as  the 
winter  rains  came  on  they  would  push  on  toward  the 
Mexican  line.  But  Frank  kept  thinking  of  the  fifteen 
years  that  Mr.  Crosby  had  been  prospecting  and  he 
decided  it- was  too  much  of  an  undertaking,  so  he 
walked  to  Maricopa  and  took  the  cars  for  Kansas  City, 
thinking  to  try  his  hand  once  more  at  looking  for  work; 
on  reaching  that  place  he  put  up  at  a  hotel  where  he 
would  be  lixely  to  find  shop-men. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

PROPERLY  presented  to  our  readers,  it  becomes 
necessary  at  this  time  to  introduce  new  scenes  and 
new  characters.  In  going  back  to  the  beginning  of  the 
great  Rebellion,  we  find  a  young  man  of  the  name  of 
Goulding.  He  was  at  that  time  about  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  was  the  son  of  a  farmer  and  naturally  possessed 
great  financial  ability,  or  in  words  better  understood 
by  common  people,  he  was  a  natural-born  scoundrel. 
At  first  glance  he  regarded  the  commencement  of  war 
as  his  opportunity;  while  others  of  his  age  were  enlist 
ing  by  thousands,  this  cool-headed  financier  quietly 
hired  out  as  teamster.  After  Fort  Donaldson  had 
succumbed  to  the  hard  fighting  and  superior  numbers 
of  Gen.  Grant's  force,  John  Goulding  was  left  with  a 
few  wagons  to  haul  supplies  to  a  garrison  on  the 
Mississippi  river;  hauling  wood  and  hay  was  the 
principal  work  and  Mr.  Goulding  was  not  long  in 
discovering  that  a  contract  might  be  made  between  the 
Quarter-master  and  himself  that  would  be  mutually 
profitable.  Meeting  the  Quarter-master  in  town  one 
day,  he  nudged  him  into  a  fine  saloon,  and  after  drain 
ing  a  couple  of  glasses  of  their  contents — the  best 
whiskey  to  be  had — they  passed  into  a  little  side  room 
which  was  furnished  with  a  table  and  chairs  and 
arranged  to  suit  the  special  convenience  of  gamblers 
and  cut-throats,  and  it  might  be  here  added  that  no 
saloon  in  that  day  or  even  in  this  can  be  considered 
strictly  first-class  without  a  few  just  such  rooms,  where 
drunkards  can  be  genteelly  robbed  and  scoundrels  or 
financiers  sip  their  Tom  and  Jerry  and  concoct  schemes 
of  rascality  that  they  would  not  dare  even  whisper  in 
any  other  locality. 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  IO5 

Taking  seats  at  the  table  Mr.  Goulding  ordered 
more  glasses  and  cigars,  and  after  a  few  casual  remarks 
the  glasses  were  at  hand  and  their  contents  quickly 
disappeared,  then,  after  lighting  their  cigars,  Mr. 
Goulding  drew  his  chair  a  little  nearer  to  his  com 
panion  and  in  a,vlow  voice  and  a  quiet,  confidential 
way,  he  leisurely  knocked  the  ashes  from  his  cigar 
with  his  little  finger,  and  said  to  the  Lieutenant  that 
he  had  a  little  scheme  on  hand  through  which  he 
expected  to  make  a  few  thousand  dollars  in  a  month  or 
two.  That  in  addition  to  what  he  had  on  hand  he 
would  require  about  two  thousand  dollars,  if  the  Lieu 
tenant  could  accommodate  him  to  that  much  he  could 
afford  to  pay  a  good  round  interest,  besides  would  feel 
himself  under  great  obligations  for  the  favor. 

The  young  Lieutenant,  who  had  probably  never  in 
all  his  life  seen  so  much  money  before  coming  into  the 
service,  was  at  first  inclined  to  take  the  matter  as  a 
joke,  but  the  quiet  countenance  of  the  teamster  soon 
reassured  him  and  he  said,  "Why,  my  man,  I  never  in 
all  my  life  had  one-fourth  part  of  that  amount  of  money 
of  my  own." 

"Is  that  so,"  said  the  teamster,  in  a  slow,  medita 
tive  way,  and  continuing,  "if  I  were  situated  as  you 
are  I  would  look  after  my  own  interests  and  try  and 
pick  up  a  few  honest  dollars  now  and  then." 

"I  have  known  men  to  get  themselves  into  very 
serious  trouble  in  making  extra  dollars,"  said  the 
Quarter-master. 

"Oyes,"  said  Mr.  Goulding,  "but  it  was  their  own 
fault,  you  want  to  do  business  on  the  square,  that  is, 
keep  inside  the  law." 

"Well,"  said  the  Lieutenant,  beginning  to  get  his 
eyes  open  a  little,  "if  you  can  point  out  a  way  in  which 
I  can  make  a  little  money  and  do  it  honorably,  I  would 
be  very  glad  to  hear  your  plan." 

This  was  exactly  what  Goulding  wanted,  it  was  his 
opportunity  and  he  said: 

"Now  as  to  honorable  methods.  You  must  lay  aside 
your  baby  notions  and  take  into  consideration  the  fact 
that  some  of  our  Congressmen  and  Senators  get  tg  k§ 


106  AN     IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

millionaires  from  their  salaries  and  they  are  honorable 
men,  and  the  more  money  they  get  the  more  honorable 
they  are." 

(Mr.  Goulding  had  been  hauling  green  wood  into 
camp  for  two  weeks  just  in  order  to  work  up  this 
scheme.)  "You  are  aware,"  said  he,  "that  there  has 
been  a  good  deal  of  growling  in  camp  about  green 
wood,  now  I  will  see  to  it  that  the  officers  make  a 
general  protest,  then  you  can  advertise  for  a  contract 
and  of  course  mine  will  be  the  only  bid  and  we  will 
put  it  at  a  price  so  it  will  pay  us  both.  Do  you  see?" 

This  plan  was  perfectly  plain  and  practicable,  so  it 
was  agreed  to  consider  it  farther. 

The  next  thing  to  do  for  Goulding  was  to  see  the 
officers  of  the  camp  and  tell  them  that  if  they  insisted 
on  having  dry  wood  that  he  would  take  a  contract  and 
he  would  have  it  if  he  had  to  go  to  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains  for  it.  It  would  cost  more  than  green  wood  but 
would  be  worth  more.  They  of  course  all  wanted  dry 
wood  and  made  out  requisitions  at  once.  So  the 
Quarter-master  went  through  the  form  of  advertising 
and  then  gave  Mr.  Goulding  the  contract  of  furnishing 
wood  at  six  dollars  a  cord. 

Mr.  Goulding  paid  one  dollar  for  having  it  cut, 
hauled  it  with  government  team,  gave  the  Quarter 
master  two  dollars  per  cord  and  had  three  dollars  left 
for  himself,  and  as  the  camp  used  several  cords  of 
wood  a  day,  it  was  no  bad  job;  besides  he  soon  worked 
up  a  hay  contract  that  paid  him  equally  as  well.  So 
he  was  not  long  in  getting  money  enough  together  to 
begin  to  make  himself  useful,  and  the  next  thing  to  do 
was  to  form  an  intrigue  against  the  Sutler  who  was  a 
kind  of  honest  old  farmer  and  not  much  of  a  financier. 
Consequently  he  was  an  easy  victim  and  Mr.  Goulding 
soon  succeeded  in  having  him  dishonestly  dismissed, 
and  as  to  move  the  goods  out  would  cost  about  all  they 
were  worth,  the  ex-Sutler  was  practically  forced  to  sell 
for  what  he  could  get.  As  Goulding  was  the  only 
buyer  he  naturally  got  the  goods  at  his  own  price  and 
made  at  least  a  thousand  dollars  on  the  turn.  Six 
months  before  he  was  teaming  at  thirty  dollars  per 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  IO7 

month  and  now,  by  rascality  and  sharp  practice,  he  had 
not  only  paved  the  way  to  future  fortune  but  had  also 
established  his  reputation  as  a  first-class  financier. 

When  once  settled  down  in  the  sutler  business  he 
was  in  a  position  to  make  himself  felt.  He  put  in  a 
large  stock  orj  credit,  borrowed  money  from  every 
officer  and  man  where  he  could  get  it,  and,  by  paying 
promptly  and  borrowing  every  chance  he  got  he  soon 
established  a  credit  and  reputation  for  honesty  which 
enabled  him  to  do  a  thriving  business. 

We  soon  find  him  running  branch  stores  and  taking 
large  contracts  for  furnishing  grain  and  all  kinds  of 
supplies.  Wherever  it  was  possible  to  stand  in  with 
an  officer  and  rob  the  government  he  always  took 
advantage  of  it,  and  when  the  war  was  over  went  to 
St.  Louis  with  ill  gotten  gains  amounting  to  over 
$100,000. 

The  next  big  swindle  we  find  him  mixed  up  in  was  in 
in  Missouri.  After  making  a  trip  through  the  State 
and  visiting  a  great  many  counties,  and  having  talked 
Railroad  enough  to  know  that  the  people  were  ripe  for 
a  big  fraud,  he  returned  to  St.  Louis,  and  getting  a 
couple  of  other  great  financiers,  he  formed  a  Railroad 
company  and  got  a  franchise  from  the  State,  employed 
engineers  and  ran  a  preliminary  line.  The  next  thing 
to  do  was  to  get  counties  along  the  line  to  vote  bonds, 
which  was  no  difficult  matter,  and  when  they  were  all 
voted,  work  was  commenced  at  one  end  of  .the  road 
and  kept  up  long  enough  to  get  the  bonds  and  the 
work  was  discontinued;  the  bonds  sold  for  what  they 
would  bring  and  the  money  invested  in  building  lots  in 
Kansas  City. 

The  work  that  had  been  done  was  sold  to  another 
Company,  and  Goulding  had  once  more  proved  his 
ability  as  a  first-class  financier.  When  the  bonds  fell 
due,  they  were  protested  and  judgment  rendered  against 
the  county;  the  County  Commissioner  refused  to  levy 
a  tax  to  pay  the  bonds  or  interest  and  for  ten  years 
they  baffled  the  United  States  Marshal  by  holding  their 
meetings  in  secret. 

There  were  some    instances,  however,  when  arrests 


108  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

were  made  for  contempt  of  court,  and  among  these  was 
the  case  of  Col.  Summerville,  an  old-time  Missourian, 
who  had  emigrated  to  Kentucky  in  a  very  early  day; 
his  wife  was  a  descendant  of  Daniel  Boone;  they 'had 
one  son  and  one  daughter  and  the  whole  family  had  a 
spotless  reputation  . 

Col.  Summerville  had  enlisted  in  the  Confederate 
army  in  1861  and  had  been  promoted  from  time  to  time 
for  bravery;  he  had  fought  till  the  last  gun  was  fired, 
then  surrendered  and  returned  to  the  loving  embrace 
of-his  family.  He  was  one  of  that  kind  of  men  whom 
everybody  loves.  When  any  neighborhood  difficulties 
arose,  he  was  the  first  man  called  in  to  arbitrate;  if  any 
one  was  sick,  Col.  Summerville  or  his  wife  were  always 
sent  for  and  it  was  true  of  their  house  that  "the  latch- 
string  was  always  out."  No  one  in  his  neighborhood 
ever  suffered  for  food.  He  never  asked  for  office  but 
always  held  one. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  his  peaceful  life  was  un 
broken,  until,  while  he  was  County  Commissioner,  he 
refused  to  levy  a  tax  to  pay  the  bonds  that  had  been 
issued  as  subsidy  for  a  road  that  was  never  built;  he 
was  arrested  by  a  Marshal  of  the  U.  S.  court  for  con 
tempt,  taken  to  Kansas  City  and  incarcerated. 

His  wife,  being  quite  old  and  feeble,  soon  died  from 
the  effect  of  the  shock,  his  daughter  was  driven  to 
insanity  and  died  in  an  insane  asylum. 

His  son  Robert,  now  a  boy  of  18,  was  at  this  time  in 
Texas,  and  as  it  was  nearing  spring,  he  decided  to 
return  home  with  a  herd  of  cattle. 

We  will  now  look  after  the  movements  of  Mr. 
Goulding  who,  having  invested  a  large  part  of  his 
money  in  town  property  which  was  almost  certain  to 
yield  him  large  returns  as  the  country  developed,  was 
quietly  looking  around  for  another  opportunity  to  dis 
play  his  genius  as  a  financier.  At  this  time  it  will  be 
remembered,  Texas  was  a  vast  region  of  grass  land, 
covered  with  immense  herds  of  cattle.  In  those  days, 
cattle  were  rounded  up  in  bunches  by  the  stockmen, 
pnc§  pr  twice  a  year  and  the  calves  branded;  the 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  IOQ 

remainder  of  the  year  they  were  allowed  to  run  at  large 
on  the  broad  plains  undisturbed. 

As  the  Railroad  had  now  reached  Kansas,  a  very 
profitable  trade  was  springing  up,  that  of  driving 
cattle  from  Texas  across  the  Indian  Territory  into 
Kansas  and  then  .shipping  to  the  East.  Mr.  Goulding, 
with  his  usual  financial  foresight,  took  in  the  situation 
at  a  glance.  He  went  to  Texas  and  his  first  step  was 
to  hire  a  man  who  "knew  all  the  ropes."  He  then 
bought  two  thousand  head  of  cattle,  divided  them  into 
five  herds,  put  an  outfit  of  men  with  each  herd,  and 
started  across  the  State  of  Texas,  and  the  Indian  Ter 
ritory,  into  Kansas.  For  two  or  three  weeks  the  route 
took  them  through  a  cattle  country  and  every  day, 
small  bunches  of  cattle  would  join  their  herds. 

Robert  Summerville  was  hired  to  drive  one  of  the 
Goulding  herds  and  while  in  camp  the  second  night, 
Mr.  Goulding  called  at  each  camp;  he  told  the  boys, 
if  any  one  came  to  the  herd  to  look  for  cattle,  to 
"round  up"  and  let  them  cut  out  whatever  belonged  to 
them;  he  also  told  them  to  let  no  cattle  get  into  the 
herds,  under  any  circumstances  and  wound  up  by  saying, 
"I  suppose  a  few  will  get  in,  in  spite  of  us,  and  what 
ever  stray  cattle  I  have  when  I  get  to  Kansas,  I  will 
cut  out,  take  their  brands,  pay  you  boys  two  dollars 
per  head  for  estray  work,  charge  two  dollars  more  for 
driving  and  selling  and  pay  the  money  left  over  to  the 
owner  when  I  come  back  next  spring. 

The  boys  took  little  stock  in  his  paying  the  owner 
for  the  cattle,  but  cattle  were  plentiful  in  Texas  and  if 
they  were  paid  for  their  work,  it  mattered  little  to 
them  what  became  of  the  rest  of  the  money. 

It  was  noticeable  that  the  different  droves  were 
rapidly  increasing  in  numbers. 

As  the  reader  may  not  be  acquainted  with  the  man 
ner  of  handling  these  large  herds,  it  might  be 
well  to  explain  that  it  takes  from  ten  to  sixteen  men 
to  drive  two  thousand  head  of  cattle.  They  start  up 
by  working  on  the  sides  of  the  herd,  thus  pushing  out 
the  leaders,  until  the  herd  is  forced  into  a  string  along 
the  trail,  nearly  half  a  mile  in  length.  The  men  who 


IIO  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

have  good  horses,  ride  along  on  each  side  to  prevent 
the  cattle  from  "bunching  up;"  two  men  work  near  the 
front  to  guide  and  three  or  four  in  the  rear  to  "whoop 
up"  the  scallawags.  The  men  are  always  well  mounted 
and  each  carries  a  lariat  and  revolver,  and  an  expert 
cattle  man  is  expected  to  be  able  to  catch  a  wild  steer 
and  tie  him  down  in  one  minute. 

When  they  commenced  driving,  Robert  was  placed 
on  the  side,  but  it  was  soon  noticed  that  he  turned  all 
stray  cattle  away  from  the  herd,  so  the  Boss  who  was 
a  typical  "bad  man"  from  Texas  put  him  behind  the 
herd,  and  another  man  took  his  place  at  the  side. 
This  created  quite  a  little  talk  among  the  boys  and 
from  this  time,  Robert  was  made  the  butt  of  every  jest. 

The  Boss  was  taking  everything  in  and  intended, 
when  the  boy  was  completely  cowed,  to  make  "grand 
bluff"  and  run  him  out  of  camp  without  pay;  thereby 
gaining  the  applause  of  the  other  men  and  the  hearty 
approval  of  the  financier. 

So  things  went  on  from  bad  to  worse,  until  they  had 
driven  four  days  in  the  Indian  Territory,  which  was  at 
that  time  an  unbroken  wilderness,  in  that  locality. 
When  they  halted  for  the  night,  four  men  remained 
with  the  cattle  to  keep  them  together,  on  good  grass; 
the  remainder,  including  Robert,  went  to  the  camp 
wagon,  located  under  some  cottonwood  trees  near  by 
and  on  the  bank  of  a  small  creek;  the  horses  were  all 
staked  near  camp. 

The  other  droves  belonging  to  Mr.  Goulding,  which 
had  now  increased  to  about  two  thousand  head,  making 
in  all  ten  thousand,  were  some  of  them  in  sight,  having 
camped  at  different  points  along  the  creek.  That  day 
the  Boss  had  told  the  boys  he  intended  to  run  the 
Missouri  lad  out  of  camp  that  night.  All  hands  were 
rather  pleased  at  this,  as  Robert  had  not  been  at  all 
backward  in  saying  that  he  thought  Goulding  was  a 
regular  cattle  thief.  The  men  were  all  expecting  to 
get  a  two-dollar  dividend,  which  was  a  big  item,  and 
they  looked  upon  Robert  as  a  kind  of  spy;  they  were 
all  expecting  some  fun,  for  they  were  now  on  shooting 
ground  and  some  of  them  had  an  idea  the  boy  would  fight. 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC,  III 

Others  said  no,  "he  is  a  regular  cur;"  but  the  test  was 
bound  to  come,  and  all  hands  had  their  ears  open  for 
whatever  might  turn  up. 

They  staked  their  horses,  spread  out  their  blankets 
and  all  gathered  at  the  wagon.  .  Robert  had  a  clean 
towel  of  his  own  which  he  used  in  preference  to  the 
camp  towel.  The  Boss,  who  was  waiting  for  a  chance 
to  begin  a  row,  noticed  this  and  said: 

"You  are  too  nice  to  wipe  with  common  people. " 

"Not  that,"  said  Robert,  "I  only  prefer  a  clean  towel 
to  a  dirty  one." 

"Well,  I'll  tell  you,"  said  the  Boss,  accompanying 
his  words  with  oaths,  "you're  entirely  too  nice  for  this 
crowd;  too  honest,  too;  you  ought  to  be  back  in  Mis 
souri  with  your  mother,  and  I  want  to  tell  you  that 
you've  got  to  leave  this  carnp  and  leave  it  before 
supper,  too;  you're  too  nice  to  eat  with  this  crowd." 

The  allusion  to  Robert's  mother  had  aroused  the  Ho  i 
in  him  and  he  quickly  responded: 

"I  will  do  no  such  thing." 

The  Boss  had  made  his  threat  that  he  would  run  the 
boy  out  of  camp  and  his  reputation  was  at  stake;  to 
falter  now,  before  this  stripling  of  a  Missourian,  was 
to  lose  his  prestige  as  "the  bad  man  from  Texas,"  so, 
little  guessing  the  tornado  he  had  set  in  motion,  he 
went  for  his  pistol;  but  the  boy  was  too  quick  for  him, 
he  whipped  out  his  -  pistol  and  fired.  There  was  a 
flash,  a  puff  of  smoke,  the  sharp  explosion,  and  the 
man's  right  arm  was  broken.  He  seized  his  pistol 
with  the  other  hand  but  this  took  time  and  the  boy's 
next  shot  buried  a  ball  in  a  heavy-cased,  silver  watch, 
carried  by  the  Boss:  this  gave  him  a  little  time  and 
the  two  exchanged  shots,  fair  and  square,  at  the  same 
time,  and  the  Boss  fell  backward  against  a  wagon- 
wheel  and  then  to  the  ground. 

The  boy  turned  his  pistol  upon  the  crowd  tor  a  mo 
ment  but  seeing  no  demonstration,  he  returned  it  to 
his  belt.  At  this  moment  he  saw  Goulding  approach 
ing  and  went  to  meet  him  before  he  should  get  up  to 
the  crowd. 

Goulding  met  him  with  an  assumed  grin;    ths    boy 


112  AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

told  him  what  he  had  done  and  demanded  his  money. 

"What?"  said  Goulding,  with  assumed  surprise, 
"you  are  not  going  to  quit?" 

"Of  course  I  am,"  said  the  boy. 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Goulding,  "of  course  you  are  your 
own  master,  but  I  would  much  rather  you  would  stay 
and  take  care  of  the  herd.  I'll  tell  you  what  I  will  do, 
you  go  ahead  and  take  care  of  that  drove,  take  them 
through  and  I  will  furnish  you  all  the  extra  riding- 
stock  you  need,  giving  you  $125  a  month,  and  I  may 
have  work  for  you  by  the  year. 

"No,"  said  Robert,  emphatically,  "I  don't  like  your 
style  of  doing  business,  I  don't  like  this  crowd  and  I 
want  my  money." 

Seeing  the  boy  was  determined,  Goulding  gave  him 
his  money  and  before  night  he  had  found  another  herd, 
several  miles  ahead  and  secured  employment  at  sixty 
dollars  a  month  for  the  remaining  part  of  the  trip. 

After  a  long  snmmer  drive  across  the  plains,  Mr. 
Goulding' s  cattle,  about  10,000  in  all,  reached  Abilene 
and  after  securing  a  camping  place  for  all,  about  fifteen 
miles  from  town,  Goulding  left  a  few  men  with  each 
herd  and  took  the  rest  into  the  City.  The  next  day  a 
new  outfit  of  men  came  and  relieved  the  men  with  the 
cattle,  and  they  were  also  ordered  to  town  and  the 
next  day  the  cattle  were  started  to  Montana.  Mr. 
Goulding  was  in  Abilene  four  days  before  he  could  get 
money  to  pay  his  men;  but  he  paid  their  expenses  at  a 
hotel,  and  on  the  fifth  day  he  paid  them  and  took  their 
receipts;  he  promised  to  pay  them  an  extra  $16,000 
on  the  cattle  they  had  gobbled  up  on  the  road,  but 
this  he  could  not  do  for  another  week.  When  the 
week  had  expired,  he  put  them  off  for  another  week, 
and  so  he  continued  to  pacify  them  with  promises. 
Suddenly  the  rumor  was  started  that  he  had  gone  to 
St.  Louis  after  money  and  would  return  in  five  days, 
but  again  the  men  were  disappointed  and,  finally  some 
of  the  men  took  a  trip  to  the  old  camp,  only  to  find 
the  cattle  had  been  gone  more  than  two  weeks  and  no 
one  knew  where.  It  was  a  debt  they  could  not  collect 
by  law  and  that  ended  it. 


AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  11$ 

Mr.  Goulding  proceeded  to  Montana,  selected  a 
splendid  cattle  ranch  and  in  ten  years,  with  what 
property  he  still  owned  in  St.  Louis  and  Kansas  City, 
he  had  become  a  millionaire. 

Reader,  did  it  ever  occur  to  you  that  every  man  who 
has  become  a-. millionaire,  by  the  accumulations  of  a 
natural  life-time,  has  made  it  by  similar  methods  and 
is  a  scoundrel  of  dangerous  power,  and  ought  to  be 
made  the  subject  of  special  legislation? 

If  good,  honest  men  ever  became  millionaires,  they 
might  be  expected  to  accomplish  great  good.  That 
class  of  men  never  make  money  so  rapidly;  therefore, 
it  would  seem,  that  in  order  to  protect  themselves 
against  these  monstrosities,  or  parasites  in  human  form, 
it  would  be  advisable  for  people  to  adopt  a"  graduated 
income  tax  to  limit  incomes  to  an  amount  commensu 
rate  with  human  happiness. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

ARRIVING  at  Abilene,  Robert  sold  his  horse  and 
outfit  and  took  the  cars  for  Kansas  City;  there 
he  secured  a  place  to  learn  the  trade  of  machinist.  In 
a  year  he  was  transferred  to  a  small  city  in  Iowa  and 
continued  there  until  the  following  episode  occurred; 
a  long,  dreary  winter  had  passed,  which  was  remarkable 
for  its  deep  snow  and  hard  weather  in  the  mountains; 
it  was  followed  by  a  long  period  of  sunshine  that 
swelled  the  streams  to  overflowing.  During  these 
high  waters,  one  Sunday  afternoon,  after  returning 
from  church,  Robert  strolled  down  to  the  river  bank  to 
look  at  the  high  water  as  it  rolled  majestically  by;  as 
he  cast  his  eyes  up  stream  he  noticed  a  small  pleasure 
boat  put  off  from  shore;  it  was  apparently  half  a  mile 
away,  but  as  the  boat  reached  the  center  of  the  stream 
the  strong  current,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  oars 
men,  carried  it  swiftly  down  the  river  and  as  it  came 
nearer,  Robert  could  see  that  there  were  four  couples 
in,  the  boat;  from  the  swiftness  of  the  current,  they 
had  evidently  become  alarmed  for  they  were  moving 
from  side  to  side;  at  last,  when  a  short  distance  from 
the  railroad  bridge,  the  boat  capsized.  The  sight  was 
appalling  and  soon  a  large  crowd  had  gathered;  at  the 
first  splash,  all  went  out  of  sight,  but  soon  reappeared. 
One  brave  fellow  who  had  been  separated  from  his 
girl,  seemed  to  fairly  throw  himself  through  the  water 
in  his  herculean  attempt  to  reach  his  companion  and 
when  he  finally  succeeded,  the  two  sank  in  each  other's 
arms  and  were  never  seen  again;  another,  who  seemed 
to  be  a  powerful  swimmer,  was  swimming  slowly  toward 
the  shore;  he  had  placed  his  lady's  hand  upon  his 


AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  115 

shoulder  and  thas  she  was  enabled  to  keep  her  head 
above  water,  while  he  pulled  for  life;  another,  in  trying 
to  save  the  life  of  one  of  the  ladies,  became  strangled 
and  the  two  went  down  together;  the  fourth  abandoned 
his  charge  and  struck  boldly  out  for  shore. 

When  Robert  saw  this,  he  rushed  to  the  rescue  and 
was  soon  midway  of  the  railroad  bridge.  The  lady  was 
struggling  in  the  strong  current  beneath  and  quick  as 
thought  he  let  himself  down  from  the  bridge;  then,  as 
straight  as  an  arrow,  shot  into  the  water;  for  some 
seconds  he  was  out  of  sight,  then,  coming  to  the  surface, 
he  shook  the  water  from  his  face  and  beheld  the 
frightened  lady,  not  five  feet  away;  a  few  strokes  and 
he  was  at  her  side;  as  he  approached  he  said  in  a 
quiet  and  assuring  way:  "Don't  be  frightened,  but  put 
your  hand  on  my  shonlder  and  I  will  take  you  out  all 
right."  The  lady  did  as  she  was  bid  and  displayed  a 
confidence  truly  wonderful.  Her  escort  who  had 
deserted  her  so  cruelly  was  now  making  good  headway 
toward  the  shore  and  finally  landed  amid  the  jeers  of 
the  spectators. 

As  the  swimmers  floated  down  the  stream,  the  crowd 
also  kept  moving.  It  was  plain  they  were  making 
some  headway,  but  so  slowly  that  it  was  doubtful  if 
strength  held  out;  minutes  seemed  like  hours  to  those 
on  shore,  but  theft  was  no  chance  to  render  assistance; 
every  boat  in  that  part  of  town  had  been  swept  away 
by  the  high  water  and  before  another  bo,at  could  be 
procured,  it  would  be  too  late.  At  last  a  delivery 
wagon  drove  into  the  crowd;  a  young  man  sprang  out 
and  seizing  a  coil  of  rope  that  had  been  thrown  out 
and  looping  one  end  about  his  head  and  shoulders,  he 
sprang  into  the  water  and  soon  had  it  where  the 
swimmers  could  get  hold,  and  they  were  all  rescued. 

The  scene  which  followed  would  be  hard  to  describe; 
all  were  overjoyed  and  each  gave  vent  to  his  feelings 
in  his  own  peculiar  way.  The  swimmers  were  assisted 
into  the  wagon  and  were  driven  to  their  homes. 

The  lady  whose  life  Robert  had  so  nobly  saved, 
proved  to  be  the  daughter  of  a  millionaire — Miss 
Sheppard— and  the  young  man  who  had  so  cruelly  left 


Xl6  AN     IDEAL  REPUBLIC 

her  to  drown,  was  her  lover,  and  he  was  the  son  of  a 
millionaire. 

When  the  wagon  reached  the  mansion  of  Mr.  Shep- 
pard,  Robert  assisted  the  young  lady  to  her  door  and  on 
taking  his  leave,  she  gave  him  her  hand  and  exacted  a 
promise  from  him  that  he  would  call  that  very  evening 
and  let  her  know  that  he  was  well,  and  she  added, 
"talk  over  the  adventure." 

After  leaving  the  mansion  they  drove  to  the  hotel 
where  an  account  of  the  affair  had  preceded  them  and 
Robert  received  an  ovation  from  the  guests  and  many 
others,  that  had  gathered  to  learn  of  the  affair. 

Late  in  the  evening  Robert,  having  fixed  himself  in 
proper  shape,  proceeded  to  fulfill  his  promise,  but  he 
had  many  misgivings.  His  self  respect  had  been 
largely  developed  and  he  was  both  kind  and  courteous 
to  a  fault,  but  he  had  always  had  a  kind  of  contempt 
for  anything  in  the  shape  of  aristocracy,  snobocracy 
or  plutocracy,  and  notwithstanding  Minnie's  smiles 
seemed  to  have  a  kind  of  gentle  intoxication  in  them 
that  was  encouraging  in  the  extreme,  he  could  not  help 
but  feel  a  dread  of  the  place  where  he  might  hope 
to  receive  them  once  more. 

On  reaching  the  mansion  a  ring  at  the  bell  brought 
a  servant  to  the  door  who  recognized  him  at  once  and 
ushered  him  into  Minnie's  apartments. 

It  would  be  a  difficult  matter  to  describe  this  young 
man's  feelings  on  being  admitted  to  her  private  parlor. 
The  golden  splendor  of  the  richly  decorated  room  was 
so  far  beyond  and  superior  to  the  most  extravagant 
picture  of  his  imagination  that  the  effect  was  truly 
dazaling;  for  a  moment  he  was  lost  in  bewilderment, 
but  when  their  eyes  met  the  magnetic  glance  lent 
inspiration  to  his  soul,  and  he  stepped  gently  across 
the  room,  over  a  soft  carpet,  rich  and  fine  enough  for 
even  angels  to  tread  upon,  but  neither  the  softness  of 
the  carpet  nor  the  dazzling  splendor  of  the  room  ha'4 
any  place  in  Robert's  thoughts. 

The  form  that  reclined  upon  a  lounge  before  him  had 
filled  his  soul  with,  shall  I  call  it  admiration?  not  so,  it 
is  too  tame  a  word.  'Twas  love  that  filled  the  soul  of 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  117 

the  young  man,  and  Minnie,  too,  pure  as  the  falling 
snow,  unutterable,  unexpressible,  indescribable,  an 
inter-coming  of  two  souls  as  one. 

For  one  short  moment  our  young  friend  stood  by  her 
side  in  silence,  while  eyes  met  and  two  fond  hearts 
drank  up  each-other' s  thoughts.  Then  gently  pressing 
the  hand  of  the  maiden  that  had  been  so  confidently 
placed  in  his,  he  quietly  sank  into  a  chair.  Now  that 
those  peculiar  feelings,  which  we  might  call  the  blend 
ing  of  all  the  nobler  impulses  of  man's  nature,  such  as 
none  but  true  lovers  can  ever  know  or  understand, 
were  over,  a  quick  conversation  commenced. 

In  response  to  his  inquiry,  the  girl  said  in  her 
sweetest  tones  that  she  did  not  feel  so  much  exhausted 
until  she  reached  home  and  then  her  strength  seemed 
all  at  once  to  give  way;  she  felt  very  weak  and  had 
been  resting  ever  since,  save  while  at  supper.  That  she 
tried  to  get  up  and  sit  in  the  rocking-chair  just  before 
he  came  but  was  too  weak;  she  felt  better  now,  and  as 
she  made  an  effort  to  arise  he  took  her  hand  and 
assisted  her  to  a  chair  where  she  again  expressed  her 
self  as  being  quite  comfortable. 

Then  they  talked  over  their  adventure  and  Minnie 
said  that  as  soon  as  she  was  with  him  all  fear  left  her 
and  she  felt  quite  safe  aud  only  thought  of  paddling 
toward  shore.  She  said  she  did  not  feel  as  though 
God  would  desert  a  man  who  had  been  so  generous  as 
to  risk  his  own  life  to  save  another's. 

Robert  said  he  did  not  consider  that  he  had  done 
anything  more  than  his  duty  or  what  any  man  ought  to 
do  under  the  same  circumstances.  That  he  had  no 
thought  whatever  of  drowning;  he  saw  she  would  sink 
soon  and  only  thought  of  bringing  her  safely  to  land. 
In  this  way  they  continued  to  chat  and  became  more 
confidential  until  the  conversation  turned  on  love. 
They  then  talked  of  their  own  peculiar  relations  and 
Robert  called  her  attention  to  the  golden  gulf  that  so 
completely  separated  them,  and  how  necessary  it  would 
be  for  each  to  make  no  vows  which  the  power  there  is 
in  gold  might  compel  them  to  break. 

All  this  had  but  little  effect  on  Minnie  who  felt  that 


Il8  AN     IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

her  life  had  been  saved  and  her  highest  aspirations 
would  be  to  crown  his  future  happiness. 

"I  know,"  said  she,  that  my  father  is  an  aristocrat; 
he  has  made  great  headway  since  the  banking  system 
was  established,  in  accumulating  wealth.  He  has 
constantly  become  more  selfish  as  his  wealth  increased 
and  it  has  been  his  highest  hope  that  I  would  marry 
that  young  man  that  you  saw  desert  me  in  the  river 
to-day."  After  a  pause  she  continued:  "That  is  all 
past  now  and  I  will  never  let  money  have  anything  to 
do  with  making  my  choice.  My  feelings  toward  you 
are  of  so  delicate  a  nature  that  I  cannot  express  them 
fully,  but  I  will  say  this  much,  that  no  money  or  want 
of  money  shall  ever  be  a  bar  to  our  future  happiness. " 

The  evening  soon  passed.  When  Robert  Summerville 
took  his  departure,  Minnie  accompanied  him  to  the 
door  and  in  spite  of  his  resolution  to  the  contrary,  in 
bidding  her  good  night  with  a  promise  to  come  again, 
he  pressed  her  to  his  heart,  and  to  a  looker-on,  the 
touch  of  lips  could  hardly  have  been  considered 
accidental. 

In  leaving  the  house,  Robert's  soul  was  ablaze  with 
the  fire  of  love;  but  he  knew  too  well  the  power  there 
was  in  gold,  and  while  he  could  face  a  desperado, 
whose  murderous  soul  was  full  of  hate,  he  knew  that 
gold  had  always  slunk  away  into  its  ever-ready  hiding 
place  and  launched  its  poisoned  missiles  through  a 
secret  emissary;  knowing  all  this  and  having  so  much 
at  stake,  he  dared  to  be  afraid. 

On  the  following  morning  Robert  went  to  work,  as 
usual,  and  during  the  week,  nothing  of  importance 
occurred  except  the  finding  of  two  bodies  which  had 
been  washed  ashore  and  lodged  on  a  sand-bar  several 
miles  below.  Robert's  employer,  knowing  all  the 
circumstances,  refused  to  let  him  off  so  he  could  attend 
the  funeral,  giving  as  a  reason  that  they  could  get  no 
one  to  take  his  place.  Robert  knew  this  was  a  flimsy 
excuse,  and  as  the  millionaire,  Sheppard,  owned  a 
large  share  of  the  stock  in  business,  he  fancied  he 
could  see  in  it  the  effect  of  special  orders  and  that  he 
had  been  spotted  for  discharge. 


AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

The  following  Sunday,  according  to  agreement,  he 
called  the  second  time  on  Minnie  and  was  not  surprised 
to  find  her  in  tears,  for  he  had  heard  a  good  deal  and 
was  prepared  for  almost  anything.  Minnie  met  him  at 
the  door  and  ushered  him  into  the  quiet  parlor,  where 
with  great  feeling  she  told  him  all  that  had  happened 
and  among  other-things  that  this  must  be  his  last  visit 
to  the  mansion.  The  visit  was  short,  necessarily,  and 
they  arranged  to  meet  in  one  of  the  parks  on  the 
following  Sunday.  Time  soon  rolled  away  and  they 
met  again  for  an  hour's  talk,  in  which  they  promised 
to  let  time  settle  it  and  remain  true  till  death. 

On  the  following  morning  Robert  was  notified  that 
his  services  would  be  dispensed  with.  He  received  his 
pay  in  full  and  after  settling  up  his  affairs,  the  remain 
der  of  the  day  was  spent  in  visiting  other  shops;  he 
hardly  expected  a  job  for  it  was  well  known  that  there 
was  not  a  shop  in  the  place  that  was  not  under  obliga 
tions  to  Mr.  Sheppard's  National  Bank.  His  little  love 
affair  had  been  so  thoroughly  ventilated  by  the  press, 
that  he  knew  that  the  influence  would  militate  against 
him;  beside,  under  the  contraction  of  the  currency, 
such  a  stringency  in  money  matters  had  been  produced, 
that  nearly  all  the  shops  were  running  on  half  time. 

On  Tuesday  he  went  to  Kansas  City  where  he  fell  in 
with  a  young  man  from  Arizona,  whom  the  reader  will 
recognize  as  Frank  Bundy.  They  were  both  looking 
for  work  in  a  shop,  so  they  took  in  all  the  different 
places  together,  but  they  were  not  long  in  finding  the 
chances  were  very  poor  and  what  was  very  discourag 
ing  was  the  constant  report  of  business  failures  all 
over  the  country. 

After  satisfying  themselves  that  there  was  no  use  of 
remaining  in  Kansas  City,  Frank  proposed  to  go  to 
New  York,  taking  in  all  the  intermediate  points. 
Robert  saw  nothing  better,  and  it  was  decided  to  go. 
Before  starting  they  went  to  the  jail  to  see  Col.  Sum- 
merville,  Robert's  father,  who  was  still  incarcerated  by 
the  United  States  court  for  refusing  to  issue  a  tax  levy, 
while  Judge  of  the  County  court,  for  the  payment  of 
bonds  issued  for  the  building  of  a  Railroad  that  was 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

never  built.  The  parting  between  Robert  and  his 
father  was  affecting  in  the  extreme.  Mr.  Summerville 
had  been  upright  and  honest  all  his  life  and  was  now 
in  jail  for  so  long  a  period  that  death  would  probably 
rob  the  cell  of  its  victim. 

The  old  gentleman  had  no  complaints  to  make  but 
deplored  the  condition  into  which  our  country  had 
drifted.  He  said  that  greed  ran  rampant  and  National 
banks,  lotteries,  faro  and  other  percentage  games,  were 
ruining  the  morals  of  the  people  and  concentrating  the 
wealth  oi  the  country — building  up  a  moneyed  class, 
that  was,  through  the  power  of  gold,  controlling  legis 
lation  and  the  protection  of  these  classes,  with  their 
money-making  games,  schemes  and  systems,  in  their 
assumed  property  rights,  had  become  the  first  duty  of 
Government.  The  rights  of  honest  citizens  to  live  and 
enjoy  the  fruit  of  their  toil  was  left  entirely  to  chance; 
and  legalized  robbery  was  making  more  distress  in  the 
State  of  Missouri,  to-day,  than  a  thousand  men  like 
Jesse  James.  When  it  would  end,  he  said,  he  could 
hardly  guess;  but  nothing  short  of  a  thoroughly 
successful  social  and  political  revolution  would  efface 
the  damnable  effects  of  class  legislation  in  the  United 
States. 

After  bidding  the  father  good-bye,  they  went  to  the 
depot  and  were  soon  on  their  way.  They  stopped  off 
at  Chicago,  Fort  Wayne,  Toledo,  Buffalo  and  other 
pointsj  but  in  all  these  places  it  was  the  same  old  cry 
of  hard  times  and  at  the  same  time,  crops  had  never 
been  better.  The  old  greenback  men  said  it  was  a 
money  famine  brought  on  by  destroying  the  national 
money;  but  the  wise  statesmen  said  the  people  had 
produced  too  much  or  in  other  words,  over-production. 
It  was  suggested  that  when  these  honorable,  wise  men 
met  again,  that  they  pass  a  law  to  prevent  people  from 
producing  such  immense  crops;  because,  said  they, 
there  are  thousands  of  families  to-day  hungry  and  half 
clad  and  if  this  enormous  production  continues  for  a 
few  years  more,  half  of  the  people  will  have  to  freeze 
for  want  of  clothes  or  starve  for  want  of  proper  food. 
A  banker  who  had  recently  returned  from  a  pleasure 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  121 

trip  to  Europe,  which  had  cost  him  several  thousand 
dollars,  and  was  getting  ready  for  a  trip  across  the 
continent  in  a  palace  car,  was  asked  his  opinion  as  to 
what  made  such  hard  times.  He  said  it  was  over 
production  and  extravagance  on  the  part  of  producers. 
Bankers,  said  he;  get  rich  by  being  economical.  This 
was  quite  clear,  but  the  boys  -were  too  anxious,  where 
any  one  had  too  much,  to  lose  time  in  argument. 

One  morning  when  they  were  thoroughly  discouraged, 
a  man  met  them  on  North  River  wharf  and  asked  if 
they  would  ship? 

"What  kind  o£  men  do  you  want?"  said  Frank. 

"Firemen,"  was  the  reply,  and  you  can  ship  to  South 
Africa  or  Liverpool,  as  you  please." 

The  boys  were  ready  for  anything  and  on  the  spur 
of  the  moment  shipped  for  South  Africa  where  they 
would  try  their  luck  in  the  mines. 

No  girl,  perhaps,  ever  felt  more  deeply  the  departure 
of  her  lover  than  did  Minnie  Sheppard.  She  had  a 
pure  heart  and  a  kind,  loving  disposition.  Her  love 
affair  had  been  brief  but  purely  mutual  and  without 
affectation.  She  felt  that  she  was  loved  by  one  of 
God's  noblest  creatures,  for  the  sake  of  herself  and 
not  her  fortune.  She  knew  too  that  Robert  had  been 
thrown  out  of  his  place  on  account  of  that  love. 
Where  he  would  go  and  what  he  would  do  was  all  a 
blank.  Times  were  hard  for  those  who  had  no  capital 
and  getting  more  so  all  the  time. 

She  had  read  a  great  deal  and  heard  her  father  talk 
about  his  banking  schemes;  while  it  seemed  to  her 
that  this  great  country  had  been  prepared  by  God 
himself  for  the  express  purpose  of  furnishing  an 
asylum  for  the  oppressed  of  the  Old  world  to  escape 
from  the  tyrannizing  despotism  of  plutocracy,  she  at  the 
same  time  knew,  that  the  poor  were  growing  poorer 
and  the  rich  richer,  and  she  also  knew  that  such  a 
state  of  affairs  could  only  be  brought  about  by  the  very 
wickedest  class  of  legislation,  and  she  feared  that 
strong  as  her  loved  one  was,  the  current  of  adverse 
circumstances  might  be  even  more  difficult  for  him  to 
contend  with  than  that  of  the  great  river. 


122  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

In  early  days  her  father  had  inherited  a  large  amount 
of  land  and  while  times  were  flourishing,  right  after  the 
war,  he  sold  it  at  a  good  round  price  and  bought 
government  bonds  bearing  interest;  after  that,  as  Mr. 
Goldburg  had  done,  he  placed  the  bonds  in  the  safe 
keeping  of  the  government  where  he  could  draw  his 
interest  regularly.  He  then  received  from  the  govern 
ment,  under  the  banking  act,  90  per  cent  of  the  money 
he  had  paid  for  the  bonds,  and  through  the  bank  he 
loaned  that  out  to  the  farmers  at  an  exorbitant  interest, 
and  as  the  circulation  of  money  was  contracted,  by  act 
of  Congress  soon  after,  prices  of  everything  went  down; 
the  farmers  were  unable  to  pay  and  the  bank  got  the 
land  at  half  its  real  value.  Exorbitant  rents  then 
followed  and  Mr.  Sheppard  had  become  a  millionaire 
by  a  creation  of  law  or  in  other  words  legalized  robbery. 

This  sure  way  of  getting  money  had  made  Mr.  Shep 
pard  selfish  and  arbitrary.  Mr.  Goldfinch,  the  young  man 
who  had  left  Minnie  in  the  river  to  drown,  was  heir  to 
a  million  and  a  half  at  least,  and  in  order  to  unite  that 
sum  to  what  he  proposed  to  give  his  daughter  he  had 
long  looked  forward  to  their  marriage  as  an  event 
greatly  to  be  desired,  and  although  Minnie  had  never 
shown  any  fondness  for  the  young  man,  the  decree  had 
nevertheless  gone  forth  and  all  that  the  contract  lacked 
was  her  sanction. 

Now  that  he  had  deserted  her  in  such  a  cruel  man 
ner,  she  was  outspoken  in  her  determination  never  to 
marry  him  and  her  father  was  equally  determined  that 
she  should.  So  the  millionaire's  ill  gotten  gains 
thwarted  love  and  stood  between  Minnie  and  her 
highest  hope  of  happiness. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

TIME  flies.  After  a  long,  tiresome  voyage,  the 
boys,  Frank  and  Robert,  found  themselves  in  a 
neat  cottage  with  an  American  family  of  the  name  of 
Brown,  having  landed  the  day  before  on  the  coast  of 
Africa.  Mr.  Brown  was  a  fine  specimen  of  an  Ameri 
can,  and  while  he  possessed  in  a  high  degree  that 
energy,  thrift  and  in  fact  all  the  nobler  elements  of 
man's  nature  so  peculiar  to  the  American  people,  he 
was  at  the  same  time  free  from  that  pusillanimity  so 
common  to  the  American  in  foreign  lands,  and  which 
is  constantly  being  interpreted  as  meaning  "I  am 
greater  than  thou. " 

Mr.  Brown's  family  consisted  of  wife  and  three  small 
children.  For  several  years  he  had  been  selling  goods, 
making  a  specialty  of  miners'  supplies  and  outfits. 
His  house  was  situated  on  the  outskirts  of  town,  hid 
away  among  many  trees  of  the  most  attractive  variety 
and  his  immediate  surroundings  were  so  tastily  orna 
mented  with  semi-tropical  shrubs  as  to  make  the  place 
a  modern  Eden. 

In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  his  home  was  a  large 
open  grove  where  American  missionaries  pitched  their 
tents,  and  his  house  had  not  only  become  the  head 
quarters  for  Americans  but  it  had  also  become  a  kind 
of  home  for  foreigners  in  general.  His  tables  were 
kept  well  supplied  with  newspapers  in  every  tongue 
and  the  use  of  them  was  free. 

After  looking  about  the  place  for  a  day  or  two  the 
boys  concluded  to  buy  an  outfit  and  go  to  the  mines. 
When  the  question  of  an  outfit  came  up,  Robert  asked 
what  they  would  want.  Frank  said  that  from  his 
experience  in  prospecting  in  Arizona,  he  would  say, 
a  dozen  canteens  to  keep  from  dying  of  thirst,  and  a 


124  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC, 

hair  rope  to  keep  rattlesnakes  out  of  their  beds;  but 
Mr.  Brown  assured  them  that  neither  would  be  neces 
sary  and  a  trade  was  soon  arranged  for  five  burros, 
three  pack-saddles,  with  rope  and  accouterments,  two 
riding  saddles,  a  camp  outfit  and  food  enough  for  a 
month's  trip.  They  each  bought  a  good  Winchester 
rifle,  six-shooters,  ammunition  and  prospecting  tools. 

On  the  following  day  they  saddled  and  packed  and 
were  soon  off.  The  animals  worked  admirably  and 
showed  good  breeding  by  proving  themselves  quite 
gentle.  After  four  days'  travel  they  reached  the  foot 
hills  and  then  passed  many  abandoned  mines  and 
occasionally  saw  placer  miners  at  work;  but  they  pushed 
on  until  they  reached  some  extensive  quartz  mines 
where  a  great  many  miners  were  employed. 

They  were  kindly  received  at  this  place  and  the 
Superintendent  showed  them  through  the  mine  and 
after  studying  the  formation  for  a  few  days,  they  con 
cluded  to  take  the  course  of  the  veins  and  look  for 
other  mines  in  the  distant  mountains. 

They  were  informed  that  the  country  where  they 
were  going  had  not  been  looked  over  to  any  great 
extent,  for  several  reasons;  there  were  very  few  pros 
pectors  in  the  country  and  in  that  section  the  country 
was  so  infested  with  wild  and  dangerous  animals  that 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  protect  their  burros;  that 
several  parties  had  attempted  to  explore,  but  had 
invariably  lost  their  animals  or  narrowly  escaped  doing 
so;  but  our  young  friends  being  thoroughly  armed, 
determined  to  try  their  luck,  so  they  took  leave  of  the 
camp  where  they  had  been  so  generously  treated  and 
pulled  out  for  the  mountains. 

During  the  first  day  out  they  crossed  a  deep  gorge  or 
canon,  then  ascended  to  the  summit  of  a  ridge  that 
seemed  to  run  in  the  same  direction  they  wished  to 
travel.  After  following  the  ridge  for  several  miles, 
through  a  dense  forest,  and  passing  an  occasional 
jungle  they  came  to  a  small  valley  of  grass  land  where 
they  found  a  growth  of  a  kind  of  pea-vine  which  the 
animals  seemed  to  like.  This  valley  was  but  a  few 
feet  below  the  general  surface  of  the  country  and  on 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  125 

the  north  side  was  a  large  quantity  of  dead  timber 
which  had  been  broken  down  by  the  storms.  It  was 
well  on  in  the  evening,  and  the  boys  considered  the 
matter  of  stopping  for  the  night,  and  as  they  found  a 
small  stream  near  the  timber,  it  was  decided  to  camp 
there.  In  a  few  moments  they  had  relieved  the  animals 
of  their  burdens  and  picketed  them  in  the  pea-vines. 
They  then  proceeded  to  throw  some  logs  together,  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  furnish  very  good  protection  for 
themselves;  and  as  a  means  of  further  protection  they 
built  a  tew  fires. 

In  following  up  the  little  stream,  they  found  it  came 
from  the  solid  rock,  beneath  the  spreading  branches  of 
friendly  trees;  ivy,  too  had  crept  among  the  branches 
and  opened  its  blossoms  to  add  its  mite  to  the  dense 
foliage  that  darkened  every  recess.  Warbling  birds 
were  merry-making  in  the  tree  tops  and  their  thrilling 
music  blended  with  the  rich  perfumes  of  a  million 
blossoms,  made  it  a  place  of  enchantment. 

For  a  long  time  these  two  Americans  drank  deeply 
ot  Nature's  fountain  and  their  souls  went  out  in  silent 
meditation  on  earthly  things  and  from  Nature  up  to 
Nature's  God;  their  minds  wandered  to  the  days  of  old 
when  others  shared  their  joys  and  sorrows;  at  last 
Frank  broke  the  silence  by  saying,  "Rob,  there  is  but 
one  thing  lacking  to  make  this  spot  a  Paradise  and  to 
make  me  the  happiest  man  on  earth." 

"And  what  is  that?" 

"The  presence  of  one  whose  name  I  do  not  care 
to  speak." 

"That's  the  way  the  world  goes,"  said  Rob,  "I  was 
on  that  train  of  thought  myself;  but  it  won't  do  to  talk 
about  it,  it's  too  serious.  A  fellow  can't  well  express 
himself,  unless  he  plays  the  baby  act,  and  I've  made 
up  my  mind  to  let  by-gones  be  by-gones,  and  busy 
myself  on  this  dark  continent,  for  it  seems  to  me  that 
"what  can't  be  cured,  must  be  endured." 

Here  the  conversation  ended  and  the  two  were  soon 
engaged  in  preparing  supper.  Nothing  transpired  to 
disturb  their  slumbers  but  the  occasional  cry  of  a 
panther  or  the  hooting  of  an  inoffensive  owl. 


126  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

After  breakfast,  next  morning,  it  was  agreed  that 
Robert  should  remain  in  camp  to  protect  the  burros 
and  Frank,  taking  arms  and  a  pick-axe  for  breaking 
rock,  started  for  the  hill. 

An  hour's  walk  took  him  to  the  crest  of  the  moun 
tain;  he  found  on  the  slope  what  he  took  to  be  good 
country  for  mines,  so  he  soon  began  picking  up  pieces 
of  float  and  toward  noon,  stumbled  onto  a  well  defined 
vein  of  quartz  and  finding  gold,  he  looked  more  closely; 
breaking  up  a  quantity,  he  secured  several  pieces  that 
looked  well.  He  scratched  around  the  lead  for  a  couple 
of  hours  and  being  able  to  trace  it  for  half  a  mile,  was 
satisfied  that  it  possessed  considerable  merit. 

After  eating  his  lunch,  he  spent  the  afternoon  walk 
ing  and  hunting.  He  found  a  great  deal  of  quartz  but 
nothing  more  that  he  considered  good.  He  returned 
to  camp  late  in  the  evening,  tired  and  hungry,  but  with 
several  specimens  of  rock.  Robert  pounded  it  up  and 
it  proved  to  be  rich,  so  they  decided  to  remain  there 
several  days,  locate  the  whole  ledge,  do  some  work  on 
it,  then  extend  their  operations  to  take  in  the  whole 
neighborhood;  after  this  return  to  camp  and  try  to 
make  a  sale. 

Three  weeks  were  spent  in  this  way.  No  discoveries 
of  importance  were  made,  so  they  returned  to  the 
mining-camp,  and  in  a  few  days  the  Superintendent 
went  out  to  look  at  the  claim  and  offered  them  $3,000, 
and  they  decided  to  sell. 

They  continued  to  prospect  in  that  part  of  the 
country  for  several  months  but  finding  nothing,  they 
returned  to  the  coast  and  pitched  their  tent  near  Mr. 
Brown,  who  was  glad  to  see  them  and  hear  of  their 
success.  Their  only  plan,  as  yet,  was  to  rest  for  a 
short  time.  They  were  not  satisfied  to  go  home  with 
no  more  than  $1,500  each,  so  they  must  look  further. 

While  they  were  encamped  at  Mr.  Brown's,  there 
arrived  in  the  town  a  band  of  over  one  hundred  natives 
bringing  in  ivory  which  they  sold  to  Mr.  Brown, 
spending  several  days  picking  out  goods  they  wished 
to  take  back.  They  camped  near,  and  the  King  soon 
became  acquainted  with  the  prospectors  and,  through 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  127 

an  interpreter,  told  them  they  lived  a  long  way  off; 
they  had  been  over  a  month  on  the  road.  The  Arabs, 
they  said,  were  invading  their  country,  and  robbing 
indiscriminately  ^and  carrying  many  away  into  slavery. 

"Why  don't  you  fight  them?"  said  Frank. 

"O  they  all  have  guns  and  we  have  nothing  but 
spears,  so  they  kill  our  people." 

"Why  don't  you  buy  guns?" 

We  have  nothing  to  buy  guns  with,  besides  we 
don't  know  how  to  use  them.  If  you  will  go  with  us, 
give  us  guns  and  teach  us  to  use  them,  we  will  make 
you  King  of  the  whole  country  and  give  you  all  the 
wives  you  want." 

That  evening  Frank  and  Robert  talked  the  matter 
over  and  the  more  they  talked,  the  more  interested 
they  became.  It  seemed  that  a  whole  continent  lay 
bleeding  before  them,  calling  for  help.  It  seemed 
plausible  that  what  assistance  they  could  render  might 
turn  the  tide  and  enable  the  natives  to  defend  them 
selves  successfully  and  also  establish  such  lasting 
friendship  between  them  and  the  whites  as  to  give 
civilization  an  impetus  in  Africa  that  would  be  without 
a  parallel  in  historj'.  It  was  decided  to  arm  and 
equip  the  one  hundred  men,  drill  them  in  the  use  of 
firearms,  and  they  believed  with  that  force,  backed  by 
many  spears,  they  could  meet  and  destroy  any  band  of 
Arabs  they  would  be  likely  to  encounter.  This  method 
too  would  give  them  an  opportunity  to  make  explora 
tions  that  could  be  reached  in  no  other  way. 

Having  each  pledged  his  life  to  the  enterprise  and 
the  cause  of  humanity,  the  boys  sought  another  inter 
view  with  the  King;  two  of  his  men  had  been  raised  at 
the  coast,  spoke  English  fluently  and  were  constantly 
with  the  King. 

Through  their  interpreter,  another  meeting  was 
arranged;  the  King  and  his  aids  met  the  young  Ameri 
cans  at  their  tent  and  informed  them  that  there  were 
five  tribes  and  each  tribe  had  several  villages.  There 
were  many  other  Kings  and  they  would  make  Frank 
King  over  all  it  they  would  furnish  arms,  teach  their 
young  men  how  to  use  them  and  then  command  them 


128  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

so  that  they  should  destroy  the  Arab  bands  of  robbers 

Having  made  this  the  basis  of  their  agreement,  the 
men  were  brought  up  in  line  and  made  to  promise 
allegiance  to  Frank  as  well  as  to  Robert.  That  evening 
they  purchased  arms  and  on  the  following  morning 
issued  twenty  guns,  and  taking  ten  men  apiece, 
drilling  commenced;  both  were  highly  pleased  with 
their  progress,  and  so  great  was  the  anxiety  of  the 
natives  to  learn,  that  as  soon  as  they  were  dismissed 
they  would  turn  around  and  drill  each  other. 

After  drilling  three  days  they  issued  blank  cartridges 
and  firing  commenced;  in  one  month  they  had  the 
whole  company  under  complete  control  and  when 
everything  was  in  readiness  they  took  up  their  line  of 
march. 

Never,  perhaps,  were  mortals  treated  with  more 
respect  and  kindness  than  were  Frank  and  Robert. 

Their  route  for  many  days,  lay  through  an  almost 
impenetrable  forest;  but  the  trail  was  well  beaten. 

The  people  seemed  to  have  a  profound  respect  for  the 
King;  but  when  they  saw  their  own  brave  men  handling 
fire-arms  and  maneuvering  in  perfect  regularity,  it  was 
too  much  and  they  went  fairly  wild. 

The  men  were,  for  the  most  part,  very  muscular  and 
in  perfect  condition,  physically.  Their  behavior 
toward  the  Americans  was  like  that  of  a  child  toward 
a  father  in  whom  it  had  perfect  confidence  and  for 
whom  it  cherished  perfect  love. 

On  reaching  camp,  they  first  put  up  their  tent,  then 
looked  after  their  bedding,  clothing,  etc.  Then  their 
cooking  received  prompt  attention,  and  everything  was 
done  which  could  add  to  their  comfort. 

Before  starting,  the  boys  had,  with  the  assistance  of 
Mr.  Brow/i,  provided  themselves  with  supplies  for  a 
year's  campaign,  and  rather  than  burden  the  natives, 
who  had  their  own  loads  to  carry,  bought  thirty  addi 
tional  burros.  After  traveling  for  six  week,  they 
reached  the  river  Toboga,  where  an  immense  crowd 
had  assembled  to  welcome  them  and  assist  them  in 
crossing  to  the  town  of  Koheka,  which  introduced  them 
to  the  King's  dominions,  and  there  they  camped. 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  I2Q 

The  Prince  of  this  province  was  a  fair  type  of  African 
nobility,  and  though  he  resembled  neither  Queen 
Victoria,  King  Leopold  nor  King  William  of  Germany, 
in  either  language  or  color,  yet  the  boys  were  of  the 
opinion  that  he  was  a  Royal  Prince  and  made  of  the 
same  flesh  and  blood  as  other  Kings. 

When  King  Kongo,  for  such  was  the  name  of  the 
King  under  whom  the  boys  had  enlisted,  had  crossed 
the  river,  he  was  treated  with  marked  respect  by  the 
nobility,  but  the  people  were  too  much  interested  in 
the  new  guns  and  the  white  men  to  care  to  participate 
in  kingly  feasts,  and  the  adventurers  were  of  the 
opinion  that  kingly  pedigrees  were,  for  the  time  being, 
forgotten. 

The  first  night  was  devoted  by  the  natives  to  all 
kinds  of  hilarity,  a  war  dance  being  the  principal 
feature,  but  the  boys,  being  very  weary,  retired  early 
In  a  few  days  they  started  for  the  King's  own  home, 
Kiyongo,  which  they  reached  after  having  passed  five 
large  settlements  and  three  important  villages.  The 
people  whom  they  met  seemed  to  have  a  mortal  fear  of 
the  Arabs  and  were  ready  to  abandon  their  villages  at 
a  moment's  notice.  The  sight  of  guns  in  the  hands  of 
their  own  people,  however,  inspired  them  with  courage 
and  they  were  ready  to  go  where  they  were  needed. 
On  arriving  at  Kiyongo,  the  King  set  men  to  work  at 
once  to  construct  a  house  for  the  two  white  men  and  in 
a  very  short  time  it  was  completed. 

This  village  was  beautifully  situated  on  the  banks  of 
a  lake  three  miles  wide  and  more  than  one  hundred 
miles  long.  The  dominion  of  King  Congo  lay  on  the 
east  side  of  this  lake,  while  another  powerful  Chief 
occupied  the  opposite  sidejbut  the  two  tribes  had  been 
at  peace  for  many  years. 

In  a  short  time  drilling  was  resumed  and  it  was  not 
long  before  the  King  from  the  opposite  side  of  the 
lake  sent  an  urgent  appeal  for  help,  stating  that  a 
band  of  Arabs,  consisting  of  one  hundred  men,  had 
taken  and  burned  a  village  about  fifty  miles  away;  it 
was  soon  arranged  that  the  white  men  should  go  with 
their 'little  army.  As  they  were  to  be  among  friends 


I3O  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

all  the  way,  there  was  no  necessity  for  extensive 
preparations  and  they  were  soon  embarked  in  canoes 
carrying  ten  men  each. 

It  was  two  days  before  they  reached  the  village  where 
they  were  to  land,  and  when  they  arrived  they  were  told 
that  the  town  which  had  been  taken,  was  ten  miles 
further  on,  also  that  the  Arabs  had  killed  a  great  many 
and  taken  about  thirty  prisoners,  fastened  them  to  a 
slave  chain  and  had  moved  that  day  to  a  spring  five 
miles  away  where  they  were  now  camped  and  it  was, 
no  doubt,  their  intention  to  burn  that  town  the  next  day. 

As  they  had  met  with  no  resistance,  they  were  camped 
carelessly  at  the  edge  of  some  tall  grass  near  the 
spring.  Being  then  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  the 
boys  decided  to  make  an  attack  upon  the  camp  that 
night;  the  natives  were  scattered  through  the  country 
and  watching  every  movement  of  the  Arabs,  so  the 
boys  were  kept  thoroughly  informed.  At  early  night 
fall,  in  a  bright  moonlight,  they  took  up  their  line  of 
march  and  reached  the  place  about  ten  o'clock.  On 
reconnoitering  they  found  the  whole  camp  was  unpro 
tected;  a  line  was  then  formed  and  moved  cautiously 
forward,  and  so  carelessly  was  the  camp  guarded  that 
they  approached  within  sixty  yards  before  an  alarm  was 
given.  When  the  Arabs  sprang  to  arms  it  was  Justin 
time  to  receive  a  death  dealing  volley;  this  was  followed 
by  a  charge  and  the  Arabs  fled  in  consternation.  The 
Chiefs  of  the  band,  with  many  others,  had  been  killed 
and  those  who  escaped  generally  left  their  arms  in  the 
excitement  and  were  run  down  the  next  day  by  the 
natives.  The  affair  could  hardly  be  called  a  fight  for 
the  surprise  had  been  so  complete  that  the  Arabs  made 
no  show  of  resistance  and  as  soon  as  the  little  army 
had  gained  full  possession  of  the  camp,  friends  and 
relatives  rushed  in  to  sever  the  bonds  and  burst  the 
slave  chains. 

This  was  a  good  commencement.  One  hundred 
stand  of  arms  had  been  captured,  with  a  large  quantity 
of  ammunition,  over  thirty  prisoners  had  been  released 
and  one  of  the  most  desperate  and  cruel  bands  of  robbers 
that  infested  the  country  had  been  destroyed. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

WE  will  now  return  to  Bopeep  and  see  what  has  been 
transpiring  there.  One  evening  in  May,  about 
two  years  after  Frank  had  taken  his  departure,  Mrs. 
Goldburg  and  her  daughter  were  in  their  sitting  room, 
and  as  Mr.  Goldburg  had  gone  to  New  York,  the  place 
seemed  rather  lonely.  Rebecca  had  been  very  thoughtful 
all  day,  and  though  always  good  natured  and  assuming 
a  cheerful  manner,  there  was  visible  upon  her  face  a  look 
of  sadness  which  elicited  her  mother's  warmest  sympa 
thy.  She  had  just  finished  a  plaintive  melody  on  the 
piano,  and  crossing  the  room  to  where  her  mother  sat, 
she  began:  "Mother,  why  does  father  bring  such 
senseless  fellows  to  the  house,  for  my  company?  Just 
think  of  that  Mr.  Foghorn." 

"Why,  your  father  told  me  he  is  the  son  of  a  million 
aire  and  one  of  the  most  powerful  ones  in  the  United 
States." 

"Well,  I  don't  care  whose  son  he  is,  I  am  sure  he's 
not  very  intelligent;  and  there  is  Mr.  Pinchback;  I 
think  the  two  would  make  fine  companions — their  whole 
conversation  is  on  money,  balls,  clubs  and  actresses; 
speak  to  them  of  religion,  poetry,  history  or  science 
and  you  might  as  well  talk  to  a  monkey  or  a  parrot. 
Mr.  Foghorn  told  me  his  father  paid  more  money 
toward  getting  the  contraction  act  passed  than  any  one 
man  and  that  his  profits  therefrom  could  only  be  counted 
by  millions.  When  I  inquired  if  his  father  actually 
produced  these  vast  sums  by  the  workings  of  that  law, 
he  said,  no,  but  it  was  transferred  from  the  pockets 
of  others  into  his,  through  the  workings  of  that  law, 
by  very  legitimate  methods  of  business.  He  talked 


I$2  AN     IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

about  it  as  if  it  had  never  occurred  to  him  that  it  was 
pure,  unvarnished  robbery  and  the  way  he  has  been 
brought  up,  I  think  he  docs  not  realize  what  a  crime 
it  is  to  rob  in  this  way. 

"I  cannot  understand  millionaires,  mother;  they 
belong  to  churches,  pray  to  God,  help  the  poor;  then 
go  out  and  rob  them;  this  must  be  true,  for  what  is  it 
but  robberry  to  take  what  you  don't  earn?" 

Mrs.  Goldburg  explained  that  these  people  had 
become  so  accustomed  to  handling  large  sums  of  money, 
that  they  do  not  realize  that  it  is  a  crime  to  keep  it 
from  the  people;  never  having  suffered  themselves, 
they  do  not  appreciate  the  sufferings  of  others." 

"Let  me  tell  you  what  I  think,"  said  Rebecca,  "I  have 
often  heard  you  say,  you  believed  when  men  handled 
an  amount  of  money  above  a  competency,  it  is  gambling; 
men  become  blind  to  a  sense  of  honor,  when  they  use 
money  only  to  gratify  a  love  for  gain.  I  believe  it 
becomes  an  incurable  disease,  for  it  is  the  spiritual 
man  which  is  affected  and  the  cause  which  makes  its 
existence  possible  should  be  removed.  A  law  which 
makes  one  man's  condition  better  without  injuring 
another,  must  be  a  good  law,  so  I  believe  the  best  law 
that  could  be  invented  would  be  to  prevent  any  one 
man  from  owning  more  money  or  property  than  would 
place  him  and  his  family  above  want.  This  would 
save  the  millionaire  the  trouble  of  handling  so  much 
money  and  would  give  others  a  chance  to  accumulate 
enough  to  make  themselves  and  their  families  com 
fortable." 

"When  our  capital  amounted  to  $100,000, "  said  Mrs. 
Goldburg,  we  could  live  in  perfect  splendor,  have 
everything  the  heart  craved,  and  your  father  had  a 
little  time  to  devote  to  comfort  and  enjoyment.  I  be 
lieve  it  was  better." 

"I  agree  with  an  article  I  read  not  long  ago,  that 
every  man  is  debased  who  makes  or  handles  liquor  in 
any  way;  it  seems  the  same  to  me  about  surplus  wealth 
when  men  have  all  the  money  they  can  use  for  comfort 
or  pleasure,  they  should  turn  their  attention  to  bene 
fiting  mankind;  all  gain  above  that  is  simply  usurpa- 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  133 

tion  of  power  that  should  only  belong  to  the  government; 
it  is  all  stolen  goods  and,  like  the  liquor  traffic, 
debases  every  man  who  indulges  in  it  or  engages  in  it. 
The  tendency  of  a  man,  after  he  has  accumulated 
wealth  is  to  becofne  hard-hearted  and  arbitrary. 

"It  may  all  be  my  imagination,  but  it  seems  to  me 
that  since  father  has  become  a  millionaire,  he  has  be 
come  cold  toward  his  neighbors  and  has  also  changed 
his  feelings  toward  us,  so  that  love,  if  it  exists  at  all, 
is  in  the  background.  This  is  not  only  so  in  our 
family,  but  in  every  family  of  my  acquaintance;  where 
ladies  delight  in  show  to  the  exclusion  of  all  noble 
sentiments,  they  enjoy  a  measure  of  happiness,  but  it 
is  small  compared  to  the  joy  which  comes  from  doing 
good.  How  any  one  can  reconcile  want,  wealth  and 
Christianity,  is  more  than  I  can  see. 

"If  you  were  to  tell  any  of  the  Bankers  of  this  town 
that  the  Bible  is  false,  that  Christ  was  an  impostor, 
they  would  denounce  you  as  they  do  Ingersoll  and 
Tom  Paine,  and  yet  their  actions  are  exactly  the 
reverse  of  Christianity.  To  me  it  seems  hypocrisy  to 
profess  Christianity  and  at  the  same  time  hoard  up 
wealth,  while  children  are  going  hungry  and  half-clad. 

"They  try  to  deceive  God  and  man  and  their  whole 
life  is  a  fraud.  In  my  father's  case  this  love  of  gold 
has  already  become  a  disease,  and  I  can  trace  its 
beginnings  until  now  it  has  reached  its  climax.  When 
he  was  in  only  moderate  circumstances,  my  every  wish 
was  gratified,  but  now  in  order  to  establish  something 
like  a  Family  Dynasty,  which  will  continue  to  wield  a 
power  to  collect  rents,  take  interest  and  oppress  the 
poor  for  all  time  to  come  after  he  is  gone,  he  would 
sacrifice  all  my  feelings,  all  my  affections  and  marry 
me  to  a  man  whose  only  recommendation  is,  he  is  the 
son  of  a  millionaire. 

"Mother,  it  makes  me  sad  when  I  think  of  all  these 
things,  and  when  I  see  how  cold  father  has  become 
toward  us,  how  he  walks  the  floor  at  the  dead  hour  of 
night,  because  some  tenant  of  his  in  Oregon  had  failed 
to  pay  his  rent,  his  excuse  being,  a  flood  had  destroyed 
his  crop.  He  walks  the  floor  and  worries;  says  he  did 


134  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

not  agree  to  keep  down  the  river;  because  they  lost 
their  crop  they  want  to  beat  him  out  of  his  rent.  I 
believe  he  would  even  take  their  team  but  that  by  law, 
is  exempt.  I  remember  a  time  when  he  not  only  gave 
money  himself  to  poor  fellows  who  had  been  hurt  in 
the  mines,  but  went  about  and  asked  help  of  others. 
In  those  days  he  took  more  time  to  rest  when  he  came 
from  the  store  and  his  meals  tasted  better;  now  he 
casts  a  hurried  look  over  the  table,  filled  with  good 
things,  eats  a  cracker  or  two,  then  goes  hurriedly  to 
his  office  and  spends  the  day  poring  over  those  horrid 
books.  Such  a  condition  is  all  wrong  and  no  man 
could  change  so  except  by  disease;  that  disease,  too,  is 
brought  on  by  concentrating  wealth,  and  if  a  govern 
ment  cannot  be  framed  so  as  to  prevent  it  then  human 
government  is  a  failure." 

"O  yes,"  said  her  mother,  "it  does  seem  as  though 
there  are  a  great  many  inconsistencies  mixed  up  with 
money  and  religion,  at  least  it  looks  so  to  me  and 
when  I  talk  with  the  most  intelligent  people  that  we 
have,  upon  this  subject,  they  dodge  the  truth  or 
acknowledge  themselves  as  much  in  the  fog  as  I  am; 
but  I  have  an  abiding  faith  in  Jesus  and  believe  that  as 
man  continues  to  progress,  the  evils  of  which  you 
complain  will  continue  to  grow  worse,  until  they 
become  such  formidable  enemies  to  human  progress 
that  the  attention  of  the  thinking  world  will  be  con 
centrated  upon  it,  and  then,  and  not  until  then  will 
there  be  found  a  remedy.  It  will  be  a  remedy,  too, 
that  will  be  as  radical  as  the  disease  requires;  but  for 
the  present  we  can  only  be  patient  and  put  our  trust 
in  Jesus." 

At  this  juncture  the  conversation  subsided  for  a  while, 
then  Rebecca  said,  "Mother,  what  do  you  suppose  has 
become  of  Frank?  I  get  to  thinking  about  him  some 
times  and  I  fancy  that  he  has  become  a  drunkard  and 
I  sometimes  imagine  that  someone  has  murdered  him. 
I  have  always  hoped  that  he  would  write  to  his  mother, 
but  he  said  he  would  never  write  or  come  back  until 
he  could  command  wealth  enough  to  be  independent  of 
the  millionaires." 


4N    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  135 

"I  feel  sorry  for  his  mother,"  said  Mrs.  Goldburg, 
"I  called  there  a  little  while  yesterday  and  she  told  me 
that  she  had  been  to  see  a  lady  medium  or  fortune 
teller  (something  of  that  kind)  and  the  lady  pretended 
to  go  into  a  trance  and  told  her  that  Frank  was  in 
Africa  and  that  she  would  see  him  sometime." 

Mrs.  Goldburg  little  thought  what  an  effect  this 
strange  message  would  have  on  Rebecca,  for  she  her 
self  had  hardly  given  it  a  second  thought,  but  to 
Rebecca  it  was  like  a  love  message  from  the  lips  of  an 
angel.  She  knew  not  why  she  felt  so;  she  had  never 
believed  in  such  things,  but  it  seemed  so  strange  and 
as  the  drowning  man  will  grasp  at  a  straw,  so  she 
hailed  this  as  an  omen  of  good  luck  and  she  often  found 
herself  thinking  about  Africa  and  scanning  the  news 
columns  to  see  if  some  new  light  would  not  be  thrown 
upon  the  subject. 

That  very  evening,  as  soon  as  Mr.  Goldburg  left  the 
room,  Rebecca  took  a  walk  and  called  upon  Mrs. 
Bundy  who  received  her  with  more  than  ordinary 
cordiality  and  told  her  all  about  the  queer  message. 
Never  had  Mrs.  Bundy  shown  so  much  feeling  toward 
Rebecca  as  on  this  particular  occasion.  After  they  had 
talked  confidentiallv  for  a  while  over  the  strange  affair, 
Rebecca  asked  why  she  did  not  go  again. 

Mrs.  Bundy  said  she  had  intended  to  do  so  but  the 
minister  told  her  it  was  the  work  of  the  devil  and  she 
had  better  not  go,  so  she  gave  it  up,  but  Rebecca  was 
too  much  interested  and  had  too  much  American  spirit 
to  be  frightened  by  a  devil  or  two,  especially  when  the 
devil  seemed  only  to  have  an  existence  in  the  fertile 
brain  of  a  man  who  preached  the  Golden  Rule  on 
Sundays  and  spent  the  greater  portion  of  his  time 
through  the  week  in  collecting  money  and  hoarding  it 
up,  while  many  little  children  were  in  want,  and 
she  insisted  on  going  again  the  next  day. 

Mrs.  Bundy  being  a  woman  of  liberal  views,  but 
little  persuasion  was  necessary  and  it  was  arranged  to 
go  again  on  the  next  Saturday,  and  when  the  time 
came  they  went,  but  the  lady  medium  had  left  the  city 
and  so  they  had  lost  the  opportunity  of  seeing  her,  but 


136  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

this  did  not  hinder  Rebecca  from  thinking  about 
the  story. 

A  few  months  after  this  Mrs.  Goldburg  and  her 
daughter  visited  Saratoga  for  recreation  and  while 
there  they  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  Mrs.  Sheppard 
and  her  daughter  Minnie.  As  the  two  families  were 
similarly  situated  in  life  a  warm  friendship  soon  sprang 
up  which  was  intensified  between  the  two  girls  by  the  dis 
covery,  through  conversation,  that  their  love  experience 
had  been  similar  and  that  hope,  fear  and  even  despair 
often  filled  the  heart  of  each,  as  they  wandered  through 
the  pleasure  grounds  and  enjoyed  the  refreshing  scenes 
that  met  them  on  every  hand;  they  plucked  flowers 
and  while  enjoying  their  wonderful  beauty  and  rich 
fragrance  would  pour  into  each  other's  ears  the  secrets 
of  their  love  affairs. 

In  this  way  time  passed  on,  days  grew  into  weeks, 
weeks  into  months,  but  sweethearts  never  tire  of  talking 
about  love  and  the  loved  ones.  As  day  by  day  they 
wandered  through  groves,  Nature  bade  them  welcome 
through  gentle  zephyrs  and  the  sweet  songs  of  many 
birds,  and  while  drinking  deep  of  Nature's  inspiring 
draughts,  their  loves  and  trials  blended,  friendship 
deepened  and  when  the  two  families  separated,  each  to 
return  home,  it  was  agreed  between  Minnie  and 
Rebecca  to  continue  their  warm  friendship  through  a 
correspondence,  and  from  that  time  on  the  girls 
exchanged  letters  regularly  and  each  hoped  on  the 
receipt  of  every  letter  that  it  would  contain  news  that 
the  writer  had  heard  from  the  loved  one,  but  years 
elapsed  and  nothing  had  been  heard. 

Often  during  this  protracted  correspondence  the 
girls  had  occasion  to  sympathize  with  each  other.  Mr. 
Sheppard,  like  Mr.  Goldburg,  was  anxious  to  see  his 
daughter  married  to  a  millionaire  and  the  girls  were 
fully  determined  to  wait  for  their  first  love's  return. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

WE  will  now  return  to  the  wilds  of  Africa  to  look 
after  our  adventurers. 

Crowned  with  victory,  the  natives  were  anxious  for 
more  war  with  the  Arabs  and  to  destroy  every  band  of 
slave-dealers.  As  other  bands  were  known  to  exist,  it 
was  decided  by  our  adventurers  to  lose  no  time  in 
arming  and  drilling  more  men,  and  as  the  natives  were 
bringing  in  an  abundant  supply  of  provisions,  it  was 
decided  to  remain  where  they  were  and  drill  until 
further  developments.  They  were  not  destined  to  be 
kept  long  in  waiting,  for  scarcely  had  they  placed  their 
troops  under  good  control,  before  word  came  from  the 
Eastern  Coast,  that  a  band  of  200  Arabs  was  moving 
toward  a  town  at  the  foot  of  the  lake.  It  was  agreed 
to  embark  from  that  place  and  on  reaching  their  des 
tination,  the  people  were  wild  with  joy.  Provisions 
were  furnished  in  the  greatest  abundance  and  every 
thing  was  done  to  make  them  comfortable. 

News  of  the  approach  of  the  Arabs  was  coming  in 
every  day  and  as  there  was  a  large  town  about  forty 
miles  away,  the  native  King  thought  it  would  be 
destroyed.  They  decided  to  meet  the  robber  band  at 
that  place.  They  therefore  pushed  forward  and  reached 
town  in  two  days.  There  they  learned  that  the  Arabs 
were  camped  within  ten  miles  and  would  come  on  the 
next  day.  They  met  men  on  the  road  and  learned  that 
the  Arabs  had  300  men,  but  the  boys  felt  confident 
that  the  surprise  in  meeting  fire-arms,  backed  by  a 
country  full  of  lancers,  would  make  victory  certain. 
The  following  morning  they  moved  three  miles  to  some 


138  AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

fallen  timber  that  skirted  a  prairie;  the  trail  passed 
directly  through  this  timber  and  could  not  be  evaded 
by  the  Arabs  on  account  of  the  jungle.  After  taking  a 
position  behind  this  timber,  they  awaited  the  coming 
of  the  Arabs. 

In  less  than  an  hour  a  small  squad  of  Arabs  came  up, 
and  seeing  that  the  natives  were  making  a  stand,  they 
fell  back  a  little.  The  main  body  formed  a  line  and 
moved  upon  the  natives  with  a  bold  step,  but  it  was 
evident  they  were  not  expecting  to  meet  fire-ams.  Had 
they  known  that  200  well  trained  and  well  armed  men 
lay  behind  the  logs,  that  the  country  was  full  of  lancers 
ready  to  follow  them  in  case  of  defeat  and  to  assist  in 
case  of  a  hard  fight,  that  twenty  men  with  fire-arms  and 
200  lancers  had  been  sent  out  the  night  before  by  a 
circuitous  route,  to  occupy  their  old  camp  ancl  cut  off 
all  possibility  of  escape  in  case  of  defeat,  they  might 
have  been  more  cautious. 

When  within  a  few  feet  of  the  logs,  the  natives  rose 
and  poured  a  deadly  volley  into  their  ranks,  then 
charged  upon  them  with  a  yell  and  the  whole  line  gave 
way  and  were  soon  completely  routed. 

In  their  haste  to  get  away,  the  Arabs,  many  of  them, 
had  dropped  their  arms  and  fled;  the  large  band  who 
had  been  sent  to  cut  off  their  retreat,  instead  of  cap 
turing  them  according  to  order,  destroyed  the  whole 
outfit.  Thus  ended  one  of  the  most  barbarous  and 
blood-thirsty  bands  of  slave-hunters  and  ivory-thieves 
that  ever  carried  destruction  to  the  heart  of  Africa. 
The  news  of  the  extinction  of  so  formidable  a  body  of 
cut-throats,  by  an  inferior  force  of  their  own  people 
(for  of  course  the  little  army  under  the  white  men 
received  the  credit)  was  heralded  to  all  parts  of  the 
country  and  was  soon  known  for  a  thousand  miles  away. 

Tribal  Kings  came  from  all  directions  to  mike  offer 
ings  of  friendship  and  establish  a  dynasty  with  the  two 
white  men  at  their  head. 

Meanwhile  the  boys  had  not  been  idle;  all  the  arms 
had  been  brought  from  the  battle-field  and  they  found 
they  had  captured  over  300  stands  of  arms  and  a  large 
quantity  of  ammunition. 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC,  139 

Three  hundred  more  men  were  at  once  enlisted  and 
drilled  for  future  emergency,  and  in  about  a  month  the 
little  army  ot  500  men  returned  to  Kiyongo. 

Abundant  supplies  were  being  brought  in  and  when 
they  were  ready  to  start  out,  canoes  for  the  transporta 
tion  were  freely  given  by  the  King. 

When  the  fleet  of  canoes  reached  Kiyongo,  they  were 
met  by  an  immense  throng  of  people  who  had  gathered 
from  all  parts  of  the  country  to  receive  them. 

Thirty  different  tribal  Kings  had  taken  up  quarters 
there  to  await  their  coming  and  make  them  Kings  over 
the  whole  country. 

On  landing,  they  were  received  with  barbarous  eclat 
and  feasted  for  three  days  with  African  ceremonies; 
then  a  council  was  held  and  their  purpose  made  known, 
when  the  young  men  agreed  upon  the  following 
stipulations: 

We  come  not  to  destroy  but  to  build  up;  we  want 
to  see,  your  burned  towns  rebuilt;  you  have  a  great, 
rich  and  glorious  country  and  with  peace,  you  will 
have  happiness. 

It  is  our  purpose  to  have  peace  and  so  far  as  we  can, 
we  will  destroy  every  band  of  robbers  that  comes  within 
our  reach;  but  as  to  your  governments,  we  would  not 
interfere  with  them. 

We  only  ask  that  you  should  bring  us  food  and  such 
other  things  as  we  need  and  we  will  protect  you;  we 
will  also  have  our  friends  come  and  live  among  you  and 
teach  you  many  things  that  will  be  of  great  benefit  to 
you  and  we  will  live  in  peace  together. 

When  this  document  was  interpreted  to  the  assembly, 
there  was  a  general  expression  of  satisfaction  and  the 
camp  was  in  a  tumult  of  joy.  At  this  time  there  were 
no  more  bands  operating  through  the  country,  though 
many  more  were  liable  to  appear  at  any  time;  so  they 
deemed  it  advisable  to  continue  their  military  organi 
zations  and  drilling.  The  destruction  of  these  two 
bands  had  spread  consternation  among  the  others,  so 
after  a  few  months,  Frank,  being  tired  of  this  monotony 
and  restless  for  adventure,  formed  a  plan  to  go  to  the 
great  range  which  lay  west  of  them.  It  was  therefore 


14*  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

arranged  that  Robert  would  remain  in  command  of 
their  littls  army,  while  Frank  took  an  outfit  of  ten  men 
and  twenty  burros  and  started  on  a  tour  of  exploration. 
For  two  months  they  traveled  through  a  country  which 
equaled  in  fertility  and  natural  advantages,  Illinois  or 
Iowa,  and  reached  the  foot-hills  of  the  range;  a  few 
more  days  took  them  well  up  into  the  mountains.  The 
foot-hills  of  the  range  were  covered  with  grass  with 
here  and  there  a  live-oak  tree,  but  further  on  the 
country  became  more  abrupt  and  was  covered  with  a 
dense,  pine  forest;  there  were  many  ravines  and  each 
had  a  stream  of  clear,  cold  water,  the  formation,  so 
tar  as  he  could  judge,  being  slate,  limestone  porphyry 
and  granite. 

The  soil  was  of  clay,  very  red,  and  he  constantly 
came  across  pieces  of  quartz,  then  a  ledge  showed  up 
here  and  there  and  every  indication  for  gold  was  favor 
able.  At  last  he  camped  in  a  ravine  which  seemed 
good  for  placer  gold. 

The  following  morning  he  set  some  men  to  work 
digging  a  hole  on  a  bar  near  camp;  after  reaching  a 
depth  of  four  feet  they  struck  gravel  and  in  eighteen 
inches  more  they  came  to  bed-rock  and  on  trying  the 
dirt  found  it  went  from  25  to  50  to  the  pan  in  gold. 

This  was  a  discovery  worth  making  and  he  deter 
mined  to  make  the  best  of  the  find.  On  leaving 
Kiyongo,  anticipating  the  finding  of  gold,  he  had  pro 
vided  picks,  shovels,  pans,  axes,  whip-saws  in  fact 
everything  he  was  likely  to  need  and  being  thoroughly 
prepared  he  started  the  burro  train  back  for  supplies, 
to  a  settlement  he  had  passed,  and  with  the  remaining 
men  lie  commenced  work  on  a  ditch  to  bring  water  to 
the  bar;  he  also  set  two  men  at  work  with  the  whip- 
saw  to  cut  out  lumber  for  sluices. 

In  one  month  after  the  ditch  had  been  completed,  a 
tail  race  had  been  cut,  sluices  set  and  ground  sluicing 
commenced;  mines  were  also  opened  in  two  other 
places  along  the  bar  and  when  the  loose  dirt  had  been 
washed  down  to  the  gravel,  the  sluice  boxes  were 
raised,  riffles  put  in  and  the  gravel  shoveled  into  the 
sluices.  After  a  week's  run  a  clean  up  was  made  that 


AN     IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  14! 

a  net  yield  of  over  twenty   dollars   per  day   to 
th,e  hand  or ..'$1,100  for  the  week. 

It  seemed  odd  to  the  natives  to  do  so  much  work  for 
such  a  little  bit  of  gold,  but  they  saw  that  Frank  set 
great  store  by  it,  so  they  worked  cheerfully  on;  when 
asked  by  the  .interpreter  what  gold  was  good  for,  he 
was  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  say.  He  knew  that 
paper  had  been  often  used  for  money  and  when  backed 
by  the  law  of , the  country,  was  superior  to  gold  as 
money*,  .The  uses  of  gold  were  so  few  that  if  it  were 
not  used  for  money  it  would  be  almost  worthless.  So 
in  order  to,  come  as  near  the,  truth  as  possible,  he  was 
forced  to  acknowledge  that  it  derived  its  value  entirly 
from  legislation  and  that  such  legislation  was  only 
tolerated  through  the  superstition  of  civilized  races; 
that  as,  long  as  that  superstition  continued  to  hold  the 
races  in  thralldom,;  gold  would  be  considered  valuable 
and  the  gold  they  were  now  digging  could  be  traded 
for  many  valuable  articles. 

After  they  had  been  at  work  in  the  mines  for  about 
three  months,'  messengers  came  into  camp  with  a  letter 
from  Robert  It  read  as  follows: 

KIYONGO,  October  4, — . 

MY  DEAR,  FRIENP:  From  natives,  living  at  the  foot 
of  the  Blue  Range  of  mountains,  I  learned  that  you 
passed  their  village  on  your  way  to  the  mountains  and 
was  all  right.  ?I  since  learned  that  some  of  your  men 
had  been  down  , to  th"e  village  after  food,  had  found  gold 
and  were  at  work,  so  I  do  not  know  when  to  look  for 
you, back  a,nd  have  concluded  to  make  an  effort  to  get  a 
letter  ,to  you.  Now  I  will  start  three  as  brave  chaps 
as  you  ever  saw  to  carry  this  to  you. 

About  a  month  or  six  weeks  ago  I  learned  .that  a  large 
body  of  men  were  burning  the  homes  and  butchering 
the  inhabitants  one  after  another  ; in  King  Hooloo's 
county— ^you  will  remember  him  as  being  the  one  so 
inclined  to  be  polite;  had  such  a  mild  manner  of  speech. 

The  word  that  came  to  me  was  that  they  were  about 
one  hundred  miles  above  the  King's  home  village, 
coming  this  way  and  destroying  everything.  My  first 
thought  was  to  send  for  you,  but  there  was  no  time  for 


142  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

that,  so  shouldering  the  responsibility,  in  less  than  ten 
hours  after  the  messengers  had  arrived  we  were  em 
barked  on  the  lake.  Our  route  took  us  fifty  miles  on 
the  lake,  then  up  a  river  for  one  hundred  miles. 

The  men  took  turns  in  rowing  and  I  think  we  made 
twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  a  day;  we  were  six  days  in 
going  as  far  as  we  could  by  water,  then  we  took  to  the 
land.  I  never  saw  a  more  willing  lot  of  men.  The  fact 
that  the  whole  country  was  looking  to  them  for  protec 
tion,  seemed  to  develop  in  them  a  thought  of  their  own 
importance  and  inspire  them  with  both  will  and  energy. 

I  think  we  made  twenty  miles  a  day  on  the  trail  and 
we  were  five  days  in  reaching  the  King's  village;  he 
had  been  sending  out  men  every  day  to  meet  us  and  let 
us  know  how  things  were  and  when  we  arrived  at  his 
village,  the  Arabs  had  destroyed  a  town  within  twenty- 
five  miles,  and  were  moving  on  the  capitol  or  King's 
village.  The  inhabitants  who  could  get  away  were 
coming  in  ahead  of  the  Arabs  and  the  road  for  twenty 
miles  was  lined  with  people;  many  had  been  killed, 
many  captured  and  others  taken  to  the  bush. 

Their  object  was  ivory,  slaves  and  subjugation,  and 
they  were  about  1,000  strong  and  well  armed. 

Inferior  as  were  our  numbers,  I  determined  to  meet 
them  on  the  road  and  trust  to  luck  for  position.  The 
next  day  at  day-break  we  were  on  the  march  and  by  10 
o'clock  we  passed  into  a  canon  that  I  saw,  at  a  glance 
would  give  us  every  advantage;  it  was  300  feet  wide 
with  a  wall  twenty  feet  high  and  loose  rock  enough  at 
the  top  to  throw  together  for  protection.  My  first 
move  was  to  fell  trees  across  the  canon  to  serve  as 
breast- works;  I  then  placed  300  men  on  the  bluffs  and 
200  behind  the  logs,  which  reached  across  the  canon. 
In  less  than  an  hour  everything  was  ready  and  every 
man  in  place.  The  Arabs  marched  in  close  order  and 
made  no  halt  until  they  discovered  us.  Then  they 
formed  a  line  across  the  canon  with  about  400  men, 
the  rest  were  held  in  reserve,  but  the  whole  command 
was  under  the  deadly  range  of  the  300  men  on  the  bluff. 

It  was  a  trying  moment;  they  with  1,000  men  as 
blood-thirsty  as  ever  trod  African  soil,  accustomed  to 


AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  143 

blood-shed  and  bent  on  robbery  and  spoliation;  we 
with  a  little  force  of  500  men  unused  to  war,  but  they 
were  defending  their  homes.  Would  the  God  of  battle 
give  them  strength  and  courage  or  would  they  fail  in 
this  battle  for  life?  These  were  vital  questions,  soon 
to  find  solution  in  actual  combat. 

The  jungle  was  now  full  of  natives  armed  with  spears, 
battle-axes,  clubs,  etc.,  but  they  dared  not  face  the 
deadly  fire  of  the  Arabs  who  began  the  battle  by  mov 
ing  upon  our  log  breast-works. 

They  advanced  with  bold  and  confident  tread  but 
when  at  close  range,  our  men  raised  and  poured  a 
deadly  volley  into  them;  they  halted  and  another  volley 
sent  them  reeling  back.  The  men  on  the  bluff  were  at 
the  same  time  pouring  a  shower  of  lead  into  the 
reserve  and  in  ten  minutes  they  were  all  on  the  retreat 
and  closely  pursued  by  our  men;  they  soon  became 
panic-stricken  and  fled  like  wild  men.  They  were  so 
scattered  that  they  fell  an  easy  prey  to  the  native 
archers  and  spear-men  and  the  small  force  that  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  back  to  their  camp,  were  attacked 
that  night  by  bushmen  and  entirely  destroyed. 

On  the  following  day,  I  ordered  all  arms  brought 
into  camp  and  when  all  had  been  collected  and  counted, 
we  had  captured  900  stand  of  arms  and  a  large  quantity 
of  ammunition,  which  I  brought  back  to  this  village 
and  have  them  safely  stored  for  future  emergencies. 

Before  we  started  back,  twenty  different  Kings 
arrived  in  camp  to  offer  thanks  and  proposed  to  make 
me  King;  but  I  answered  them  by  simply  having  the 
statement  read  which  we  agreed  upon  at  Kiyongo. 

The  country  through  which  I  have  traveled  is  bne 
immense  farming  region;  it  is  a  pity  to  have  it  laying 
idle  while  thousands  of  civilized  people  need  it  for 
homes.  It  is  the  opinion  among  the  natives  that  this 
last  victory  will  effectually  stop  the  slave  and  ivory 
raids  in  this  part,  and  it  is  thought  that  native  Kings 
3,000  miles  away  will  be  falling  back  on  us  for 
protection. 

Hoping  this  will  find  you  O.  K.,  I  am  respectfully, 

ROBERT  SUMMERVILLE. 


144  ,, AN    LD.BAIv    REPUBLIC. 

Until,; Frank  .received,  this  letter  he  had  been  so 
absorbed  in  mining  that  he  had  given  but  little  thought 
as  to  how  Robert  might  be  getting  along,  arid  >  now 
when  he  learned  what  a  time  he  had  been  having  he 
became  anxious  to  see  him. 

During  his  stay  in  the  mountains  he  had  not  only 
pushed  work  rapidly  on  the  mine,  but  he  had  pros 
pected  several  other  ravines  and  found  the  whole 
country  to  be  very  rich  in  gold.  He  had  not  only 
found  ravine  and  gulch  digging  equal  in  richness  and 
extent  to  Gblden  California,  but  i  he  had  also  found 
what  afterwards  proved  to  be  the  richest  gold  quartz 
mines  in  the  world.  Now,  being  well  satisfied  with 
his  explorations,  he  determined  to  start  for  Kiyongo 
at  once,  and  after  weighing  his  gold  in  small  lots  he 
found  that  he  had  over  $7,000,  which  was  less  than 
twenty  dollars  a  day  to  the  man  for  the  work  done. 

The  natives  did  not  seem  to  expect  anything,  or  at 
least  no  part  of  ,the  gold;  it  seemed  to  have  no  charm 
for  them,  but  had  they  been  slaves  they  could  not  have 
been  more  subservient  to  the  will  of  Frank,  and  he 
only  explained  to  them  that  he  could  buy  many  nice 
things  for  the  people  with  his  gold. 

After  putting  all  their  sluice  boxes  and  tools  away 
where  they  would  be  safe  from  fire  and  flood  they  set 
out  for  home,  and  being  lighty  loaded  reached  Kiyongo 
in  less  than  sixty  days. 

When  the  adventurers  met  they  were  overjoyed  and 
the  first  night  after  Frank's  arrival  they  talked  until 
morning  and  it  was  acknowledged  that  neither  had 
ever  known  a  similar  circumstance. 

In  the  morning  they  went  to  see  Robert's  little  farm 
and  it  was  noted  that  he  had  more  truck  than  the 
whole  native  village*  The  King  had  built  them  a  nice 
residence  and  so  far  as  land  far  cultivation  was  con 
cerned  it  was  co-extensive  with  the  continent* 

For  two  weeks-  they  talked  over  everything  and 
finally  decided  that  Frank  should  go  to  Mr.  Brown's 
trading  post  and  get  an  outfit  for  a  big  expedition-  to 
the  mines.  On  informing  the  King  -they;  were,  gireatly 
pleased  that  he  heartily  approved  of  the  plan  and  an 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  145 

immeVise  oratfit  of  pack-animals  was  gathered  and  with 
a  large1  body  of  men  Frank  went  to 'the  coast,  and  ;as 
he  Went,1  improved  the  trail  where  it  was  necessary. 

The  $7;bOo  in%bld*was  deposited  With  Mr.  Brown  to 
be'  placed  on   account   in  addition  to  what  was  left  of  ; 
the  $3,000. 

An  outfit  :of  tools  was  then  purchased  and  also  several 
horse  teams  and  plows.  Arrangements  were  made  for 
the  pack  trains  to  continue  constantly  bn  the  road  in 
chatge  of  a  man  who  had  :beeri  recommended  by 
Mr.  Brown. 

On  reaching  Kiyongo,  the  boys  proceeded  to  dis 
tribute  their  beads,  looking  glasses,  copper  wire,  cloth 
and  many  other  notions  among  the  people.  The 
wives  of  all  the  soldiers  were  then  called  and  received 
alike  fine  presents. 

The  troops  were  called  in  line  and  told  of  the  intention 
to  go  to  the  mountains  and  dig  for  gold  and  that  all 
whb  went  could  take  their  families  and  all  who  wished 
to  remain  at  home  could  step  out  of  the  ranks.  To  the 
surprise  jof  Frank  and  Robert  not  a  man  stirred,  but  to 
the  contrary,  all11  seamed  anxious  to  go. 

Iiv  a^few  days' the  outfit  was  ready  and  moved  out. 
It  cbnsistsd  of  five  hundred  men,  all  armed>  andj  being 
accustomed  to  btirdenS  they  tarried  their  oWn  plunder,  - 
twO;  'hundred  burros  loaded  with  tools  and  goods,  such 
as<Svould;be  most  attractive  to  the  natives.  This  time 
Ffank^ ;  went  ahead  '  with  men  and  tools  and  as  the 
natives  turned  out  from  each  village  to  assist,  they 
subce^ded  in  making  a ^  Very  good  r'oad  from  village  to 
village,^  keeping'  ahead  of  the  main  body. 

On  reaching  the  mines,  men  and  families  were 
selected  for  the  different  prospects  along  a  gulch  for 
about  two  -miles  and  each  put  ut>  a  small  house  of 
poles,  then  &  store 'Was  btiilt  which  was^  tb  be  head 
quarters.^ 

Several  whip-sa!ws  Were  started  to  keep  the  camp  in 
lumbe^:  and ••  when  the  men  were  comfortably  Situated, 
thos^'who  haHr beeri 'with  Frank  on  his  first  trip   were- 
detailed  to  teach  the  others  to  work. 

At  this  time  there  was  no  place  in  this  whole  country 


146  AN   IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

where  there  was  anything  going  on  except  at  this 
camp.  The  natives  for  years  had  been  in  constant 
dread  of  annihilation  by  a  people  who  were  superior 
to  themselves  only  in  the  use  of  fire-arms,  and  in  these 
two  white  men  they  had  found  a  savior.  Whenever  a 
dispute  arose  their  word  was  law,  and  as  they  were 
actuated  by  principles  of  justice,  without  a  thought  of 
self-aggrandizement  or  other  selfish  motive,  they  were 
unconsciously  becoming  the  true  missionaries  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ  and  taught  the  Golden  Rule  by  precept 
in  every  day  life.  Their  motto  was,  lots  of  practice 
and  little  prayer. 

They  believed  that  labor  was  the  commencement  of 
progress,  and  that  a  progressive  state  could  be  reached 
through  no  other  channel,  and  in  order  to  get  the 
people  into  a  progressive  condition  they  arranged  to 
have  work  for  all,  and  that  the  people  might  be  con 
tented  and  happy  they  established  a  system  of  traffic 
with  the  villagers  by  which  their  comforts  and  wants 
were  fully  satisfied. 

As  there  is  a  spirit  in  man's  nature  that  is  ever  ready 
to  progress  when  an  opportunity  is  offered,  so  in  this 
case,  the  better  element  in  these  tribes  came  to  the 
standard  of  the  unassuming  chiefs.  Some  of  course 
tired  of  work  and  went  back  to  their  villages,  but  the 
many  became  so  accustomed  to  shifting  the  whole  care 
of  providing  from  their  own  shoulders  by  a  little  work 
that  they  greatly  preferred  the  labor  with  plenty,  to 
idleness  with  want. 

Several  large  burro  trains  had  been  put  upon  the  road 
by  native  chiefs  or  kings  to  keep  the  store  supplied, 
great  herds  of  goats,  too,  were  constantly  being 
brought  up  to  the  villages  and  driven  to  the  mines  and 
there  exchanged  for  goods  in  the  store,  and  every  one 
was  busy  and  all  had  plenty  and  were  happy.  The 
gold  was  constantly  taken  to  the  store  and  shipped  to 
Kiyongo  where  the  old  King  put  it  away  in  an  old 
house,  but  by  all  it  was  regarded  as  the  property  of  the 
white  men,  and  at  best,  considered  of  but  little 
consequence. 

The  growth  of  the  camp  was  wonderful   and  in  less 


AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  147 

than  one  year  other  camps  had  been  established;  the 
mines  were  very  rich  and  the  country  called  New 
California. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  year  over  4,000  men  were  at 
work  in  the  mines,  and  the  gold  that  found  its  way 
into  the  store  amounted  at  that  time  to  the  enormous 
sum  of  $6,000,000. 

The  second  year  an  increase  of  population  was 
noted,  and  also  in  the  gold  output,  and  notwith 
standing  that  one  million  dollars  had  been  shipped 
away  for  goods  in  the  two  years,  there  was  still 
$12,000,000  in  gold  bars  at  Kiyongo. 

At  first  glance  this  would  seem  to  be  an  enormous 
sum  but  when  we  take  into  consideration  the  fact  that 
the  gold  production  of  the  United  States  of  America 
has  been  given  for  the  years  1849  and  1850  at  $40,000,000 
and  $50,000,000,  making  in  all  $90,000,000  for  the 
two  years,  and  that  nearly  all  this  vast  sum  came  from 
the  gold  mines  of  California,  it  will  be  seen  that 
$12,000,000  pales  into  insignificance. 

Up  to  this  time  Frank  and  Robert  had  worked  with 
an  eye  singly  to  the  good  of  the  peculiar  people  among 
whom  their  sympathies  had  been  enlisted,  and  now 
when  they  were  contemplating  their  wonderful  success, 
Frank  said  that  he  thought  the  time  had  come  when 
they  should  get  a  few  more  white  people  into  the 
country  and  form  a  government,  then  throw  the  country 
open  to  the  world.  "But,"  said  he  to  Robert,  "from 
what  you  have  told  me  I  think  you  should  take  what 
gold  you  want,  and  claim  the  hand  of  that  Iowa  girl. " 

"Yes,"  said  Robert,  "I  have  been  thinking  about  that; 
but  it  occurs  to  me,  you  would  do  well  to  take  some  of 
that  advice  to  yourself." 

"Just  so,"  said  Frank,  "but  you  see  I  have  promised 
myself  so  often  that  I  would  do  my  level  best  to  bring 
light  into  Africa,  that  I  seem  to  be  perfectly  wedded 
to  the  cause  that  I  believe  will  bring  such  good  to 
mankind;  beside  it  is  dollars  to  cents  that  my  girl  has 
long  ago  been  sacrificed  to  some  millionaire;  I  would 
not  have  her  know  that  I  am  alive  for  fear  it  would 
make  her  unhappy;  so  I  have  not  written  to  her." 


140  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

"Exactly  right,  "said  Robert,  "and  you  will  hot  be 
surprised  to  learn  that  I  have  dismissed  the 'subject 
from  my  mind  in  the  same  manner  and  have  deter 
mined  to  stay  with  our  African  propositions  to  the 
bitter  end.  If  I  fall,  it  will  be  while  fighting  for  the"' 
good  of  mankind,  and  I  am  as  anxious  to  carry  out  our 
plan  of  a  civilized  government  in  this  country  as  I 
ever  was. " 

"Right,"  said  Frank,   "we  will  shake   on    that,"    and 

0.1          '*.'••'  1  II  1 

the  two  young  men  clasped  hands. 

"Now,"  said  Robert,  "as  we  have  agreed  to  stay  With 
it,  don't  you  think  it  will  be  well  enough  to  formulate 
some  plan  for  future  operation?" 

"Certainly,"  said  Frank.  After  a  while,  Robert  con 
tinued;  "I  have  always  let  you  have  your  way,  not 
because  I  thought  you  were  right,  but  because  I 
admired  your  unassuming  bravery  and  reckless,  dare 
devil  style  of  driving  ahead;  but  I  want  te>  tell  you 
now,  you  are  as  full  of  inconsistency  as  a  Texas  steer 
is  of  the  devil. " 

"How  so,"  said  Frank.  "Well!  I  will  tell  you," 
Robert  continued:  "in  the  first  place,  you 'have  always 
claimed  that  gold  has  very  little  intrinsic  value  and 
should  never  have  been  used  as  a  substance  to  make 
money  of,  simply  because  the  amount  of  gold  in  the  ' 
world  is  limited  to  its  production  and  money  should 
only  be  used  to  the  necessities  arising  for  its  use.  I 
have  even  heard  you  go  so  far  as  to  say  that  the  use  d! 
gold  as  money  had  produced  more  misery  than  any 
other  cause,  and  still,  as  fast  as  possible,  ;you  at£  cbA- 
verting  these  people  who  know  nothing  about  gold, 
into  miners  instead  of  teaching  them 'to  cultivate  the 
earth  to  better  advantage;  you  see  that  over  in  Kiyongo 
I  raised  more  truck  with  three  or  fbur  nien  than  the 
whole  village;  now  after  talking  as  you  always  have, 
to  turn  around  and  make  miners  of  all  these  people;  is 
like  a  man  preaching  the  religion  of  Christ,  which  is 
all  based  upon  Justice  and  Charity,  and  at  the  same 
time  hoarding  up  wealth,  While  Others  are  suffering,  or 
like  standing  in  a  million-dollar  church  and  preaching 
humility.  I  am  almost  perstiarfed  to  propose  abandon- 


AN     IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  149 

iiig  this  minipg  Business,  ship  the:  gpld  out  of  the 
country  and  exchange  it  for  something  that  •would 
benefit  the  country  and  in  future  turn  our  attention  to 
educating  the  people. " 

This  little  speech  'set  'Frank  to  solid  thinking;"  he 
knew  it  to  b«d  half  in  jest/  but1  he  r^m^mbered  that 
When  a  difference  of  bpiruqii  came  up  between  them 
Robert  had  nine  times  out  of  ten  given  way  to  him;  he 
therefore  felt  it  his  duty  to  make  a  spirt  of  apology,  so 
he  said:  "Robert,  we  are  placed , under  very  peculiar 
circumstances,  and  while  I  have  tried to  be  entirely 
unselfish  arid  governed  by  reason,  I  must  admit  that 
when  I  look  back  it  seems  as  if  I  had  t>qen  governed 
by  what  Orthodox  Christians  call  intuition  and  Spir 
itualists  would  call  Spirit  control,  I  know  not  what  it 
is; ;  so  long  as  the  results  are  g6bd^  I  care  not. 

"In  the  United  States,  millions  of  dollars  have  been 
collected,  much  of  it  among  the  poor,  and  missions 
established  on  the  islands  of 'the  sea.  The  first  thing 
to  be  dorie  in  JtheSe  missions  is  generally  tp  establish  a 
trading-post  and  monopolize  the  tfadej  and  although 
the  trade  is  ..always  for  the  people,  it  is  quite  often  the 
cases  that  these  missions,  like  Congressmen,  soon  become 
rich/  After  trade  is'  established,  the  next  grand  object 
to  be  attained  is  to  persuade  the  natives  to  lay  aside 
one  '  yuperstit^m  and  take  up  a'nbthe^r— for  any  belief 
without  evidence"  is  superstition— and  until  the  savage 
is  rais'ed  to  that  standatd,in|ellectuany,  where  he  can 
comprehend  the  .laws  of  divinity,  ana  understand  trie 
develo^nieht  Of  natural  law  that  proves  the  Divine 
teaching  to  be  true  tp  him  they  are  pnjy  superstitions. 

"In  corisfequerice  of  this,  missions,  the  world  over, 
have  :beeri  failures  as  civilizers"  and  only  a  partial 
siiqce^s  Jas  a  monetary  scheme. 

"Now  uriless  we  can  adopit  some  new  plan  to  civilize 
the  people,  oiir  pl^h  is  a  failure  from  the  commence 
ment.  I  have  beeri  reasoning  over -/the  matter  in  this 
way:  Labor  is  thp'  corner  stone  to  all  ciyiiization ; 
without  labor  there  9ould  be  nasiich  thing  as  civiiiza- 
tibh.  Tp  be  busy  is  to  be  happy;  to  be  idle5  is  to  be 
miserable  arid  disconterited.  These  are  facts  in  man's 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

nature ;  therefore  the  man  who  fosters  labor,  builds  up 
civilization;  and  the  man  who  controls  labor  through 
selfish  motives,  is  an  enemy  to  society,  to  Christianity 
and  to  God. 

"These  things  being  true,  we  must  first  teach  these 
people  to  work  and  make  themselves  comfortable;  we 
cannot  educate  them  in  art,  science  or  religion  in  their 
present  condition;  it  would  be  like  resting  a  building 
upon  its  apex.  We  must  not  use  force,  force  is  wrong; 
love  is  law;  therefore  we  must  first  show,  these  people 
the  blessings  to  be  derived  from  labor;  then  provide 
them  with  labor  that  is  new  to  them  and  see  to  it  that 
the  result  of  that  labor  is  improved  condition;  then 
the  novelty  of  labor  and  its  benefit  combined,  will 
attract  these  creatures  and  enlist  their  energy  and  when 
the  first  day's  work  is  done  and  its  fruit  enjoyed,  even 
though  it  be  but  a  string  of  beads,  if  it  satisfied  the 
worker,  a  step  in  progress  has  been  taken. 

"Admitting  these  things  to  be  correct,  our  line  of 
procedure  becomes  plain.  We  must  create  a  want — 
our  stores  all  through  the  mines  have  done  this  by 
putting  a  variety  of  goods  in  sight  that  are  both  useful 
and  attractive.  Our  next  duty  is  to  show  these  people 
a  way  by  which  they  can  obtain  these  goods.  Our 
mines  are  peculiarly  adapted  to  that  end  and  although 
gold  is  a  substance  which  receives  its  value  entirely 
from  legislation  of  other  countries,  it  still  answers  our 
purpose  in  many  ways;  the  work  is  easily  learned  and 
suited  to  the  condition  and  the  gold,  too,  is  ready  sale 
in  foreign  countries  and  can  be  exchanged  for  such 
goods  as  we  want. 

"Beside  this,  it  furnishes  work  for  pack  trains  which 
come  here  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  When  more 
white  men  come  into  the  country  and  we  organize  a 
government,  their  superstition  in  favor  of  using  gold 
as  money  will  be  so  strong  that  they  will  probably 
insist  on  using  the  twelve  millions  of  gold  on  hand  to 
make  coin  of,  and  when  a  shortage  of  gold  occurs  they 
will  want  to  issue  interest-bearing  bonds  and  trade 
them  for  gold  in  London;  should  they  succeed  in 
carrying  out  this  plan,  the  history  of  the  United  States 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  151 

of  America  would  be  repeated  and  in  a  few  years  Lon 
don  would  have  all  our  gold  and  silver,  even  our 
railroads,  our  bonds,  and  a  large  share  of  our  business; 
our  land,  too,  would  eventually  pass  into  their  hands, 
but  what  we  must  try  to  do,  is  to  make  our  own  money 
of  paper,  based  upon  the  wealth  of  the  country  and 
stability  of  the  government  and  its  ability  to  enforce 
its  own  laws.  Then  we  can  have  this  gold  to  ship  as 
a  commodity  for  the  purchase  of  railroad  iron  and 
machinery,  and  when  we  add  to  it  our  yearly  product, 
we  will  soon  have  Steamships  and  Railroads  of  our 
own  and  no  bonds,  no  interest  no  foreign  capital. 

"The  gold  that  we  have  has  cost  nothing,  for  you  see 
the  people  set  no  value  on  gold,  but  are  well  satisfied 
with  their  improved  condition.  The  gold  we  have  is 
not  ours  but  a  means  that  God  or  nature  has  entrusted 
to  our  keeping,  for  the  benefit  of  mankind.  If  we 
hoard  it  up  or  use  it  to  enslave  or  to  control  labor,  to 
satisfy  a  greedy  disposition  in  ourselves,  then  we  are 
recreant  to  the  trust;  but  as  long  as  we  can  furnish  and 
control  labor  in  the  interest  of  the  people  and  civiliza 
tion  we  are  the  true  followers  of  Christ." 

Robert  had  been  listening  to  all  this  with  an  appre 
ciative  interest;  they  were  his  own  sentiments  photo 
graphed,  but  he  had  never  heard  them  so  plainly 
expressed  before,  and  being  in  a  good  natured  mood,  he 
said,  "Frank,  you  certainly  are  an  enigma. " 

"Why  so?" 

"Simply  because  whenever  you  think  you  have  estab 
lished  a  good  principle,  you  base  it  upon  Christianity; 
and  yet  you  are  so  entirely  different  from  the  people  I 
know  who  call  themselves  Christians,  that  you  are 
about  the  last  piece  of  material  I  would  have  selected 
had  I  wanted  to  make  a  Christian.  I  have  known  you 
for  a  long  time  and  have  never  discovered  any  Bible, 
Hymn  or  Prayer  book  lying  around  loose,  nor  have  I 
ever  caught  you  praying  and  singing  psalms  or  trying 
to  persuade  anyone  else  to." 

"Psalms  and  loud  prayers, "  said  Frank,  "are  for  those 
who  need  them,  but  my  experience  has  been  so  serious 
and  trying  in  its  nature  that  what  little  devil  there  was 


1^2  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

in  my  nature  has  all  been  driven  out  by  the  refining 
influences  of  combined  love  and  persecution  and  my 
soul  goes  out  to  good  intuitively,  naturally;  every 
breath  is  an  inspiration,  every  action  in  business  is  a 
prayer  for  the  cause  I  have  espoused — that  of  liberating 
mankind  from  the  thralldom  of  ignorance  and  super 
stition.  The  birds  in  the  trees  sing  psalms  to  me  and 
my  Bible  is  the  love  of  all  mortals;  is  short  and  easily 
understood;  my  Christianity  is  not  One  of  creeds, 
forms  and  ceremonies  but  it  is  the  Christianity  of  love, 
truth,  justice — this  is  what  Christ  taught,  hence  is 
Christianity. " 

"Well,"  said  Robert,"  if  this  is  Christianity  just 
count  me  in.  I  have  always  considered  myself  an 
infidel  after  the.  Ingersoll  type  and  am  indebted  to  you 
for  a  knowledge  of  the  name  I  should  rightly  assume, 
and  in  fact  I  am  rather  glad  to  know  that  after  all  I 
am  a  Christian." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

T  THIS  time  there  were  several  stores  in  the  mines 
in  charge  of  men  who  had  been  sent  out  by  Mr. 
Brown  at  different  times.  The  trail  from  the  coast  to 
the  mines  had  been  shortened  somewhat  and  missed 
Kiyongo  by  about  twenty-five  miles  and  in  consequence 
that  place  was  quite  dead,  but  in  case  they  succeeded 
in  making  :a  government  they  had  decided  to  make  it 
the  capitol,  and  now  it  was  thought  advisable  to  make 
a  move  in  that  direction.  It  was  also  thought  best  to 
consult  the  wishes  of  the  people.  So  they  were  called 
together  and  asked  if  they  would  prefer  going  back  to 
their  homes  and  abandoning  the  mines,  but  all  were 
unanimous  in  wishing  to  stay.  They  had  good,  com 
fortable  homes,  little  gardens,  and  by  their  work  could 
get  many  things  at  the  store  which  they  would  never 
see  in  the  country. 

It  was  therefore  arranged  that  Robert  should  remain 
in,  charge  of  the  camps  and  keep  the  mines  running 
in  full  blast.  The  camp  from  the  first  had  been  care 
fully  managed  in  every  way  to  improve  the  condition 
of  the  working  men.  They  were  constantly  encouraged 
to  bring  their  families,  to  raise  gardens  and  keep  goats, 
both  for  milk  and  mutton.  The  boys  were  highly 
gratified  at  the  result  of  their  labor  in  the  way  of  civ 
ilizing  the  negro  and  while  Robert  was  to  continue  the 
good  work,  Frank  was  to  go  to  Kiyongo,  assemble  the 
Kings,  talk  up  the  advisability  of  bringing  more  white 
men  into  the  country  and  organizing  a  strong  govern 
ment  that  would  not  only  protect  the  people  but  also 
civilize  them  and  teach  them  many  things. 

The  camp  .was  now  notified  of  their  intention,  and 
when  Frank  assembled  his  little  band  of  soldiers  to 
start  for  Kiyongo,  they  came  in  from  all  the  mines  to 


154  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

see  him  off,  and  their  peculiar  ways  of  expressing 
regrets  at  parting  was  not  only  impressive,  but  their 
simplicity  and  honesty  even  moved  these  strong  young 
men  to  tears. 

The  trip  to  Kiyongo  was  long  and  tiresome,  but 
Frank  was  young  and  in  the  height  of  his  glory;  he 
was  married  to  the  cause  of  progress  and  no  millionaire 
stood  in  his  way.  Thus  he  soliloquized  and  pushed  on. 

When  he  arrived  at  Kiyongo,  after  resting,  he  held 
a  long  consultation  with  the  King,  who  entered  into 
his  plan  with  childish  interest.  The  wonderful  change 
for  the  better  that  had  been  brought  about  by  these 
young  men  in  checking  the  terrible  onslaught  of  the 
murderous  Arabs  had  completely  won  his  esteem,  con 
fidence  and  affection.  He  readily  consented  to  call  a 
meeting  of  all  the  Kings  who  could  be  reached,  and 
during  the  interval  which  would  elapse,  Frank  would 
explore  a  route  through  to  the  great  river  that  was  said 
to  lay  east  of  them,  and  also  find  a  better  way  of  getting 
goods. 

Now  as  everything  had  been  arranged  with  the  King, 
he  was  soon  embarked  on  the  lake  with  a  small  escort 
in  two  canoes,  and  after  a  few  days'  rowing  on  one  of 
the  most  enchanting  lakes  imaginable  he  reached  a 
town  at  the  foot  of  the  lake  where  he  had  formerly 
landed  with  his  army.  When  it  had  become  known 
that  he  had  arrived,  the  natives  gathered  from  every 
direction  to  give  him  a  welcome  and  the  King  of  the 
place  offered  his  own  service  as  guide. 

As  soon  as  it  was  possible  they  were  off;  including 
the  King's  pafty  their  company  was  now  large  and  as 
they  had  plenty  of  tools  Frank  made  it  a  point  to 
improve  the  road  as  they  went.  The  distance  to  the 
river  proved  to  be  about  one  hundred  miles.  At  the 
place  where  they  camped  two  great  rivers  formed  a 
junction.  The  country  around  was  smooth  but  undu 
lating  and  apparently  the  farming  land  was  vast  in 
extent  with  strips  of  timber  and  grass  land,  ready  for 
the  plow. 

A^large  island  stood  in  the  center  of  the  stream  which 
at  this  point  seemed  to  widen  to  a  lake  several 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  155 

miles  in  length;  and  on  being  sounded  for  several 
miles  proved  to  be  navigable  for  the  largest  ocean 
steamers,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  was  a  beautiful 
harbor.  Frank  conceived  the  idea  that  at  no  distant 
day  there  would  be  a  grand  city  at  the  place  of  their 
encampment  and  named  the  place  Summerville,  in 
honor  of  his  companion. 

Everywhere  along  the  great  river  they  found  ruins  of 
large  villages  which  were  said  to  have  been  destroyed 
by  Arabs;  he  was  told  that  thoie  who  escaped  death 
had  moved  to  other  settlements.  They  found  many 
canoes  along  the  bank,  and  natives  from  the  interior 
villages  were  camped  there,  fishing.  These  canoes 
were  used  in  sounding  the  river,  and  after  seeing  all 
that  he  thought  was  necessary  of  this  region,  they  took 
a  different  route  to  return,  by  ascending  the  river 
several  miles  then  crossing  ihe  country  to  the  foot  of 
the  lake. 

On  Frank's  return  to  Kiyongo,  he  expressed  himself 
to  the  King  as  being  highly  gratified  with  his  trip  and 
stated  that  the  time  was  not  far  distant  when  they 
would  have  a  railroad  from  Kiyongo  to  the  coast, 
The  King's  knowledge  of  railroads  was,  of  course,  very 
limited;  this  was  perhaps  fortunate,  for  had  he  known 
how  the  railroad  companies  in  the  United  States  had 
first  robbed  the  government,  then  the  people,  oppressed 
their  employes,  and  created  general  distress  by  their 
exorbitant  rates,  levied  to  produce  interest  or  dividends 
on  watered  stock,  their  unwarrantable  discrimination 
for  or  against  cities,  towns,  villages  and  territories, 
he  would  certainly  have  held  up  his  hands  in  holy 
horror  and  said  keep  out  the  railroads,  for  the  slavish 
conditions  that  they  bring  about  is  even  worse  than 
being  murdered  and  destroyed  by  heartless  Arabs. 

The  time  for  the  convention  was  now  near  at  hand 
and  Frank  improved  the  time  in  making  preparations 
for  a  trip  to  Mr.  Brown's. 

At  the  appointed  time  the  Kings,  to  a  man,  came  in 
obedience  to  the  summons  and  their  greatest  curiosity 
was  to  know  what  he  would  do  with  so  much  gold;  to 
them  it  was  like  lead  and  they  supposed  it  would  be 


r  r1 56  ,  AN  JPEAL  REPUBLIC. 

used  for  .bullets  to  shopt  squirrels,  but  Frank  .explained 
that  when  a  government  was  formed  they  would  .trade 
the  gold  for  railroad  iron,  machinery  steam  ships  and 
many  other  things  that  would  be  needed  by  civilized 
people.  He  explained  to  them  that  a  government  Was 
nothing  more  nor  less  than  an  organized  society  of 
civilized  people  formed  for  the  purpose  of  protecting 
every  individual  in  his  ability  to  live  and  enjoy  perfect 
liberty  of  action  so  long  as  ne  does  nothing  to  interfere 
with  the  rights  of  others.  That  inhuman  nature  there 
has  always  cropped  out  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  a 
few  dishonest,  greedy  and  unscrupulous  men  to  rob  and 
deceive  the  others  and  take  to  themselves  all  the 
property  and  all  the  good  things  of  earth  and  .prevent 
the  others  from  enjoying  them;  in  civilized  govern 
ments  crafty  and  dishonest  men  have  preyed  upon 
the  credulity  of  honest  men  by  inventing  all  kinds 
of  gambling  percentage  games  to  rob  the  people;  ,these 
games  are  generally  called  lotteries  or  banks.  The  Faro 
Bank  is  quite  common,  but  the  most  stupendous 
swindle  known  to  modern  times  is  the  National  Bank. 

He  explained  to  them  that  gold  had  no  value  of  any 
consequence  except  as  it  was  used  by  foreign  nations 
for  money,  and  as  its  use  was  only  made  possible  by 
these  swindling  monopolies  appealing  to  the  supersti 
tions  of  the  people,  it  was  liable  to  lose  its  value  any 
time  through  the  natural  progressive  spread  of  light 
and  education,  therefore  it  should  be  their  policy  to 
ship  all  our  gold  and  exchange  it  for  more  valuable 
commodities  as  fast  as  possible. 

He  told  them  that  the  whole  people  would  constitute 
the  government,  and  as  the  gold  was  one  of  the  natural 
products  of  the  country,  it  would  be  used  to  put  a  good 
and  strong  government  into  operation,  that  is  if  it  was 
agreeable  to  their  wishes,  and  as  they  did  not  know  the 
damnable  effects  that  a  civilized  government  had  pro 
duced  with  the  natives  or  Indians  of  the  United  States, 
they  readily  consented  to  his  plans  and  authorized 
him  to  go  ahead,  and  it  was  agreed  that  the  seat  .of 
government  should  be  on  the  lake  near  Kiyongo, 


AN     IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  157 

It  was  also  agreed  that  in  forming  a  government  each 
King  should  continue  to  rule  his  own  tribe  as  now, 
and  each  should  be  represented  in  the  national  council. 
That  Frank  should  go  to  the  coast  and  bring  back  good 
white  men  to  take  part  in  organizing  the  government, 
and  when  he  returned  they  were  to  be  once  more  called 
together  for  the  "purpose  of  framing  a  constitution  by 
which  they  would  all  be  governed. 

To  all  of  this  the  great  Kings  agreed  and  the  pow 
wow  wound  up  with  a  great  feast. 

As  arrangements  had  already  been  made  for  a  large 
pack  outfit  and  one  hundred  men,  Frank  started  for  the 
coast.  Six  weeks  from  that  time  they  camped  on  Mr. 
Brown's  old  camp  ground  and  he  noticed  that  there 
were  a  great  many  others  camping  there  and  was 
pleased  to  learn  that  they  were  Americans. 

On  reaching  the  place  the  camp  was  hardly  arranged 
before  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  were  on  the  spot  to  extend 
to  Frank  the  warm  hand  of  friendship  and  take  him  to 
their  home,  and  while  Mr.  Brown  and  Frank  enjoyed 
a  glass  of  wine,  Mrs.  Brown  prepared  such  a  lunch  as 
Frank  had  not  tasted  for  many  a  day. 

All  had  plenty  to  talk  about.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown 
wanted  to  know  all  about  Frank  and  his  many  experi 
ences  and  Frank  was  anxious  to  hear  the  news  from 
the  civilized  world.  It  was  late  the  next  day  before 
they  could  even  begin  to  talk  about  business.  .  Mr. 
Brown  told  him  that  the  gold  he  had  sent  was  reported 
as  having  come  from  one  of  the  camps  near  the  coast. 
This  he  had  no  doubt  done  for  the  purpose  of  controll 
ing  the  trade,  out  of  which  he  had  already  made  a 
comfortable  fortune,  but  it  suited  Frank's  purpose  very 
well,  so' it  was  agreed  for  the  present  to  keep  everything 
quiet  about  the  gold,  and  this  matter  over,  it  was 
decided  that  Frank  should  retire  to  his  room  which 
had  been  kindly  furnished  him  by  Mr.  Brown  and 
decorated  with  flowers  for  his  special  use. 

On  retiring  to  his  room,  Frank  was  soon  busily 
engaged  in  poring  over  the  late  papers  and  was  not  at 
all  disappointed  to  find  that  the  great  journals  still 
found  plenty  of  business  in  recording  strikes,  lockouts, 


158  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

railroad  accidents,  new  trusts  forming,  great  business 
outlooks,  money  to  loan  in  all  the  banks  on  good  real 
estate  security,  the  greenback  party  dead,  John  L. 
Sullivan  traveling  the  country  as  champion  of  the  world, 
the  pugilistic  business  having  a  regular  boom,  wonder 
ful  evidence  of  prosperity;  such  as  mortgages,  bonds 
and  immense  sale  of  whiskey.  All  the  breweries  bought 
by  an  English  syndicate,  all  rag  money  destroyed  and 
an  honest  gold  dollar  in  circulation  which  would  buy 
more  wheat  or  cotton  than  any  other  dollar  that  was 
ever  made. 

While  Frank  was  contemplating  all  these  wonderful 
evidences  of  unparalleled  prosperity,  a  gentleman  was 
ushered  into  the  room  by  Mrs.  Brown  and  introduced 
as  Mr.  Gibbs,  an  American  missionary,  who,  after  a 
few  complimentary  remarks  had  been  passed,  proceeded 
to  explain  that  he  had  come  to  Africa  for  the  purpose 
of  preaching  and  teaching  Christianity  and  learning 
from  Mr.  Brown  that  Frank  was  operating  in  the 
interior,  sought  an  interview  for  the  purpose  of  gain 
ing  some  knowledge  of  the  country  and  people  which 
might  guide  him  in  establishing  a  mission. 

Frank  treated  Mr.  Gibbs  with  kindness  and  gave  him 
all  the  information  at  his  command,  and  followed  his 
remarks  by  saying  that  if  they  were  prepared  and  desired 
to  instruct  the  people  in  the  rudiments  of  knowledge 
that  he  and  all  others  of  the  same  class  would  be  very 
welcome  visitors  or  residents. 

Mr.  Gibbs  then  stated  that  there  were  twelve  gentle 
men  and  seven  ladies  camped  in  the  grove,  all 
missionaries  from  different  denominations,  but  one  in 
Christ,  and  if  he  would  appoint  a  time  when  he  would 
address  them,  they  would  all  be  glad  to  be  in  attend 
ance,  so  they  were  immediately  summoned,  and  as 
their  method  of  teaching  was  satisfactory,  Frank 
closed  his  remarks  by  explaining  that  it  was  a  long  and 
tiresome  trip  and  perhaps  too  much  of  an  undertaking 
for  ladies,  but  that  the  field  was  open  and  such  as  felt 
themselves  equal  to  the  task  would  receive  perfect 
protection  and  every  facility  for  travel  that  was  at  his 


AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  159 

The  ladies  with  one  voice  informed  Mr.  Bundy  that 
they  felt  themselves  equal  to  any  emergency  and  all 
that  they  asked  was  protection  and  they  would  not  be 
found  wanting;  everything  being  satisfactory,  it  was 
arranged  that^ll  should  accompany  the  expedition. 
As  they  had  their  complete  outfits  they  would  accept 
nothing  from  Frank  but  a  few  riding  animals  for  the 
ladies  and  they  were  to  be  prepared  to  start  in  one 
week. 

That  same  evening  as  Frank  was  sitting  quietly  in 
his  room  musing  over  the  situation,  Mrs.  Brown 
announced  two  gentlemen  as  desirous  of  an  interview; 
they  were  admitted  at  once.  The  gentleman  in  advance, 
a  tall,  lean  man,  introduced  himself  as  Hesikia  Lincoln 
from  Kansas,  U.  S.  A.;  his  companion  as  Thomas 
Jefferson  of  the  U.  S.  These  gentlemen  afterwards 
expressed  their  surprise  at  finding  so  young  a  man  and 
described  Frank  as  being  a  man  of  fine  form,  light 
complexion,  terribly  tanned,  round  smooth  face,  brown 
hair,  slightly  inclined  to  curl,  large  blue  eyes  with  a 
dreamy  expression.  Honesty  of  purpose  and  motive 
backed  by  a  strong  will  power  seemed  to  be  his  leading 
points. 

As  the  two  men  entered  the  room,  he  met  and  gave 
them  a  hearty  shake,  then  all  were  seated  and  Mr. 
Lincoln  proceeded  to  inform  him  that  Mr.  Jefferson 
and  himself  had  first  met  at  that  place.  They  had 
come  to  Africa  for  the  purpose  of  bettering  their  condi 
tion,  but  had  found  things,  so  far,  quite  dull  and  they 
had  sought  an  interview  with  him  to  find  out  if  he 
could  point  them  to  anything  in  the  way  of  business 
or  employment. 

Frank  at  once  recognized  the  fact  that  these  were 
men  of  brains  and  he  felt  his  own  insignificance,  but 
the  quiet,  unassuming  manner  of  Mr.  Lincoln  reassured 
him  as  he  proceeded  to  relate  that  he,  Mr.  Lincoln, 
had  been  a  farmer  in  Kansas,  but  after  the  withdrawal 
of  greenbacks  was  commenced,  money  became  so  scarce 
that  he  was  compelled  to  borrow  from  the  bank,  and 
when  the  mortgage  became  bigger  than  the  farm, 
sold  {or  what  he  QQuI<J  get  and  sought  new 


l6o  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

The  experience  of  Mr.  Jefferson  had  been  similar, 
only  he  had  been  engaged  in  a  different  branch  of 
business,  and  what  he  most  desired  at  present  was  more 
money  or  some  means  by  which  he  could  obtain  that 
very  necessary  article. 

Frank  explained  the  condition  of  things  in  the  interior 
briefly,  then  informed  them  of  the  desire  of  the  people 
to  form  a  strong  central  government.  When  he  came 
to  this  part  of  his  narration  he  saw  the  face  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  brighten  up  and  Mr.  Jefferson  draw  his  chair 
a  little  nearer,  and  after  a  few  moments  pause,  Mr. 
Lincoln  asked  what  kind  of  government  have  you 
thought  of  forming.  The  gentlemen  had  misgivings 
upon  this  point,  no  doubt,  for  the  selfishness  and 
ambition  of  most  men  would  naturally  lead  them  to 
form  a  kingdom  and  place  himself  at  the  head. 

Frank  hesitated  for  a  moment,  then  said:  "I  think 
I  know  the  kind  of  a  government  we  want,  and  yet  I 
do  not  know;  we  certainly  want  one  that  will  give 
equal  justice  to  all;  we  want  every  man  to  have  equal 
rights  well  denned  and  we  want  a  government  strong 
enough  to  protect  every  individual  in  those  rights,  but 
just  what  kind  or  government  will  accomplish  these 
things  in  the  best  manner,  is  what  I  do  not  know. " 

Should  we  accompany  you  to  the  interior,  Mr. 
Bundy,  could  you  give  us  any  assurance  of  being  able 
to  provide  the  necessaries  of  life  while  this  new  gov 
ernment  is  in  embryo?" 

"Certainly,"  said  Frank,  "you  will  be  provided  with 
the  best  the  country  affords,  and  I  will  furnish  you 
with  all  the  pack  and  saddle  animals  you  need  and  give 
you  protection  and  care  to  the  extent  of  my  ability." 
So  it  was  arranged  that  both  with  their  families  should 
accompany  the  expedition. 

On  the  following  day  three  young  men  called  on  Mr. 
Bundy  and  he  observed  that  they  were  all  about  his 
own  age.  The  first  introduced  himself  as  William 
Saunders,  an  Englishman,  the  others  as  Thomas  Coy 
and  Charles  Baxter,  both  Americans.  They  were  all 
good  looking,  smart  and  intelligent,  and  their  language 


Aft    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  l6t 

and  manners  bespoke  men  of  education.  They  were 
all  adventurers  and  wished  to  learn  something  of  the 
interior. 

Frank  gave  them  a  pretty  fair  description  of  the 
country  but  did  not  encourage  them  in  going;  in  fact 
he  was  not  favorably  impressed  with  them.  After  a 
long  talk  they  retired  but  came  again  the  next  day  and 
asked  his  permission  to  accompany  the  expedition  at 
their  own  expense. 

It  was  too  much  for  Frank  to  refuse  when  the  parties 
were  entire  strangers  and  he  could  not  tell  why  it  was 
that  he  disliked  them,  so  it  was  also  arranged  for  them 
to  accompany  the  expedition. 

On  the  road  it  was  noticed  that  they  had  a  good 
many  boxes  of  ammunition,  and  as  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
noticing  the  boxes,  Baxter  remarked  that  he  was  afraid 
they  had  more  ammunition  than  they  would  need,  "but 
these  boxes,"  said  he,  "contain  surveying  tools  for  I 
am  an  engineer." 

The  matter  passed  without  farther  thought  on  the 
part  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  but  could  he  have  seen  the  con 
tents  of  the  boxes  he  surely  would  have  thought  some 
thing  more  concerning  it. 

The  facts  were  that  Mr.  Saunders  had  been  a  confi 
dential  employe  in  a  bank  in  England  and  had  managed 
to  get  away  with  $120.000  in  gold;  he  had  reached 
South  Africa,  where  he  expected  to  remain  until  a 
compromise  could  be  effected  by  his  friends;  Mr.  Coy 
was  a  bank  defaulter  from  Chicago  who  was  in  Africa 
under  almost  the  same  circumstances,  with  a  swag  of 
$100,000;  Baxter  was  a  personal  friend  of  Coy's  who 
had  been  his  accomplice,  and  as  he  had  not  been 
known  as  such  it  was  intended  that  some  day  he  would 
return  and  fix  up  a  compromise  for  Coy,  by  returning 
a  large  part  of  the  money.  But  now  that  a  new  gov 
ernment  was  to  be  established,  the  spirit  of  speculation 
with  them  ran  high. 

In  a  few  days  goods  had  been  purchased,  animals 
packed  the  expedition  organized  and  on  the  move. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

WE  again  go  back  to  Bopeep.  Mr.  Goldburg  had 
united  his  vast  wealth  with  that  of  Mr.  Goldaker, 
a  millionaire  of  Boston,  and  with  their  combined  capital 
they  had  associated  themselves  with  an  English  syndi 
cate  or  banking  firm.  When  greenbacks  were  with 
drawn  from  circulation  money  became  very  scarce  and 
farmers  and  business  men  were  forced  to  borrow  gold 
to  do  business  with  and  take  the  place  of  the  greenbacks, 
and  while  contraction  was  going  on,  this  English  syn 
dicate,  through  agents,  had  loaned  out  millions  of 
dollars  on  mortgages  which  were  invariably  made 
payable  after  harvest,  and  it  was  now  arranged  that  the 
English  bankers  were  to  demand  immediate  payment 
on  their  mortgages  and  stop  all  farther  loans;  this 
would  make  such  a  stringency  in  money  matters  as  to 
force  wheat  to  its  lowest  possible  price.  Then  Mr. 
Goldburg  would  step  in,  buy  up  the  surplus  crop  at 
half  its  real  value.  After  this,  extensive  loans  would 
again  be  made  and  wheat  go  up;  in  this  way  they  were 
successfully  fleecing  the  farmers  on  one  hand  and  con 
sumers  on  the  other. 

The  old  Greenbackers,  followers  of  Cooper  and 
Weaver,  were  constantly  exposing  the  scheme,  but 
they  were  denounced  as  cranks  by  a  subsidized  press, 
and  the  game  went  merrily  on,  the  people  continuing 
to  grow  poor  and  lose  their  land,  while  these  gold 
gamblers  piled  up  their  millions. 

Mr.  Goldburg's  associate  in  Boston,  Mr.  Goldaker, 
had  a  son  about  twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  Mr. 
Goldburg  conceived  the  plan  of  a  marriage  between 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  163 

this  young  man  and  Rebecca,  thereby  consolidating  the 
two  estates  which  would  add  materially  to  their  power 
as  a  monetary  dynasty. 

Mr.  Goldburg  had  been  baffled  so  often  in  his  plans 
of  marrying  his  daughter  to  some  man  where  it  would 
add  to  his  own -power,  by  enabling  him  to  control  more 
millions,  that  he  now  determined  to  go  at  things  in  a 
business  like  way;  so  after  making  all  the  necessary 
arrangements  with  and  having  his  plan  approved  by 
the  father  and  son,  he  proceeded  to  bring  about  a 
meeting  by  taking  the  young  man  home  with  him, 
where  he  met  for  the  first  time  Rebecca  and  her 
mother. 

After  a  visit  of  several  days,  Mr.  Goldaker  returned 
to  his  home  in  Boston,  highly  elated  over  his  visit. 
Miss  Rebecca  had  treated  him  with  great  respect;  true, 
he  could  not  help  feeling  that  she  considered  him  her 
father's  guest,  but  he  was  confident  that  when  the  ice 
was  broken  by  her  father  and  the  great  advantage  that 
would  follow  the  consolidation  of  the  two  estates  fully 
explained,  all  would  be  well  and  the  conquest  would 
be  an  easy  one. 

On  Saturday  evening,  after  the  departure  of  Mr, 
Goldaker,  instead  of  going  into  his  home  office  as  he 
usually  did  and  poring  over  his  books  until  bed-time, 
Mr.  Goldburg  waited  in  the  drawing  room  until  his 
wife  appeared. 

The  millionaire,  in  managing  so  large  a  business, 
had  cultivated  a  habit  of  using  just  as  few  words  as 
possible  and  be  understood;  he  had  not  probably 
spoken  half  a  dozen  words  to  his  wife  or  daughter  in 
six  months  that  was  not  strictly  business.  He  had  in 
fact  become  just  the  kind  of  a  man  that  it  takes  to 
pile  up  millions — cold,  selfish,  and  always  busy — if  not 
working,  always  thinking,  not  about  science,  nor 
religion,  but  about  gold;  after  a  vast  estate  has  been 
accumulated,  and  invested  in  stocks,  bonds,  and 
securities,  it  will  run  itself  and  a  man  with  very  little 
brains  or  energy  can  draw  the  interest;  but  the  first 
building  up  of  these  great  dynasties  make  two  things 
indispensable — favorable  legislation  and  a  man  of  very 


164  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

peculiar  character.  Mr.  Goldburg  it  seems  turned  out 
to  be  that  kind  of  a  man.  As  his  wife  entered  the 
room,  he  motioned  her  to  a  chair  and  in  a  very  busi 
ness  like  way  said:  "I  thought  I  would  speak  to  you 
about  an  arrangement  I  have  made  with  Mr.  Goldaker, 
the  father  of  the  young  man  you  have  had  as  a  guest. 

"It  is  the  same  banker  with  whom  I  have  been 
associated  and  he  is  called  one  of  the  richest  millionaires 
in  the  United  States;  he  is  getting  quite  old  and  if  a 
marriage  can  be  effected  between  young  Mr.  Goldaker 
and  Rebecca,  he  will  put  his  whole  estate  under  my 
management. 

"The  good  that  will  be  derived  from  such  an  arrange 
ment  can  hardly  be  conceived  by  a  person  not  conversant 
with  the  methods  of  handling  aggregated  capital.  As 
an  illustration,  with  these  two  estates  consolidated,  I 
can  buy  up  legislators,  control  the  legislatures,  conven 
tions  and  elections;  can  lobby  bills  through  Congress  to 
advance  my  personal  gain,  without  asking  the  odds  of 
other  capitalists  and  when  the  consolidated  bankers 
carry  a  bill  through  Congress  to  scoop  the  people,  I 
will  be  prepared  to  take  advantage  of  it  and  increase 
my  holdings  all  over  the  United  States. 

"I  am  sorry  to  see  that  Rebecca  has  so  stubbornly 
rejected  all  propositions  ot  marriage  heretofore  and  I 
hope  you  will  give  her  an  outline  of  my  plan.  I  shall 
depend  upon  you  to  assist  in  bringing  the  very  strongest 
influences  to  bear  to  insure  a  consummation  of  this 
plan.  I  think  it  will  be  best  for  you  to  explain  first 
and  I  will  try  to  see  her  myself  in  the  course  of  a  few 
days  and  shall  hope  not  to  be  compelled  to  use  coer 
cion.  "  Thus  saying,  without  giving  his  wife  a  chance 
to  reply,  he  left  the  room. 

It  so  happened  that  the  Goldburg  family  had  some 
years  before  taken  a  small  black  boy  to  raise,  who  was 
now  about  ten  years  old;  he  was  extremely  bright  but 
very  rougish  and  had  learned  to  love  Rebecca  with  that 
love  that  is  only  begotten  by  kindness.  This  boy  was 
in  the  room  during  the  whole  conversation  and  little 
did  Mr.  Goldburg  think  how  interested  he  had  been. 
As  soon  as  the  millionaire  left  the  room,  Fred,  for  that 


AN     IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  165 

Was  his  name,  slipped  unnoticed  from  the  room  and  a 
moment  later  a  rap  was  heard  on  Rebecca's  door. 
Rebecca  recognizing  the  tap  as  being  that  of  her  pet 
black  boy,  opened  the  door  at  once  and  the  little  fellow 
rushed  in,  his  face  shining  black  with  excitement. 

"O  Missus  Becca!"  he  said,  "does  you  like  that  ar 
dude  from  Boston?" 

"Who  are  you  calling  dude?"  said  Rebecca.  "O  dat  ar 
man  dat  talks  about  theatres,  clubs  and  prize  fights. " 

"O  you  naughty  boy,  you  must  not  talk  that  way 
about  Mr.  Goldaker. " 

"I  say  Missus  Becca,  do  you  like  Mr.   Goldaker?" 

"Of  course  I  do,  child,  but  why  do  you  ask?" 

"Cuz  your  pa  said  you  must  marry  him  and  he  would 
get  a  big  lot  of  money  solidated."  "Who  did  he  tell?" 

"He  told  your  ma,  deed  he  did,  Missus." 

"Where  is  mama?     Come,  I  must  see  her." 

The  boy  led  the  way  to  Mrs.  Goldburg,  and  when 
they  entered  the  room  her  mother  guessed  what  had 
transpired  and  proceeded  to  relate  the  whole  talk. 

Rebecca  was  not  surprised  for  she  had  expected 
something  of  this  kind  sooner  or  later,  but  now  that  it 
had  come  she  was  all  unnerved  and  she  said  in  a 
pitiful,  childish  manner,  "Mama,  it  seems  awful  to 
think  that  papa  would  be  willing  to  sacrifice  all  my 
hope  of  happiness  for  gold  when  he  already  has  more 
of  the  precious  metal  than  he  can  ever  use;  it  seems 
as  though  all  that  Satan  offered  Jesus  would  not  be 
enough  for  him." 

"I  know  what  the  matter  of  him  is,"  said  Fred, 
"he'es  got  goldoramus. " 

"What  do  you  mean,  you  little  scamp?"  said  Rebecca. 
"I  will  shut  you  up  in  the  kitchen  if  you  say  another 
word. " 

At  this  the  boy  went  back  to  his  hiding  place,  behind 
a  large  chair,  and  the  thought  of  a  pan  of  doughnuts 
that  he  saw  the  cook  put  away  that  day,  flashed  across 
his  mind  as  he  contemplated  Rebecca's  awful  sentence 
and  a  broad  grin  spread  over  his  face. 

Turning  to  her  mother,  Rebecca  said,  "Who  would 
think  that  Fred  would  remember  my  talk  of  the  plu- 


1 66  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

tocrats  having  goldoramus.  I  never  would  have  thought 
of  it  again.  There  is  no  accounting  for  the  memory 
of  children." 

"He  will  probably  remember  that  when  other  things 
of  much  more  importance  have  long  been  forgotten," 
said  her  mother. 

"It  did  not  sound  so  badly,"  said  Rebecca,  "when  I 
said  it,  but  to  hear  it  repeated  makes  me  feel  so  small. " 

"You  have  spoiled  the  boy,"  said  Mrs.  Goldburg, 
"you  treat  him  more  as  a  pet  than  as  a  servant." 

Rebecca  made  no  reply  to  this  but  after  a  moment's 
pause  said  to  her  mother,  "What  do  you  think  of  this 
whole  affair;  don't  you  consider  Mr.  Goldaker  rather 
presuming  to  want  to  marry  a  girl  who  has  no  thought 
of  him  whatever?" 

"Of  course,"  said  her  mother,  "it  looks  strange,  but 
with  millionaires  it  seems  that  there  is  but  one  consid 
eration  in  life  and  that  is  gain;  gain  beyond  compe 
tency  means  power  to  control  and  oppress  others.  It 
is  the  religion  of  the  devil  and  its  devotees  are  just  as 
much  in  earnest  as  are  the  followers  of  Christ's  noblest 
teachings. " 

"Well,  I  won't  like  the  man  and  I  will  never  encour 
age  him." 

Then  the  little  black  boy  jumped  out  from  behind 
the  chair  where  he  had  been  quietly  sitting  and  coming 
up  to  Rebecca,  said,  "I  don't  ,like  him  eithe*r,"  and 
Rebecca  having  forgotten  her  little  fit  of  anger  at  the 
boy,  said,  "why,  Fred,  why  don't  you  like  Mr.  Gold 
aker?"  "Cuz,"  said  Fred,  "cuz  he's  got  goldoramus." 
Seeing  the  look  that  came  upon  Rebecca's  face,  he 
quickly  returned  to  his  hiding  place. 

To  say  that  Rebecca  was  provoked,  would  be  to  put 
it  too  mildly,  but  it  was  not  in  her  heart  to  punish  the 
boy,  and  as  both  ladies  were  too  sad  to  talk  they 
retired  to  their  separate  apartments. 

There  had,  perhaps,  been  no  time  in  Rebecca's  life 
when  she  had  been  more  sorely  tried  than  now  and  she 
sought  consolation  in  prayer.  Oh!  how  she  longed  for 
Frank's  strong  arm  to  lean  upon;  she  would  rather  go 
with  him  into  a  sh0"*"  -\nd  live  upon  the  earnings  of 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC;  167 

a  poor  wage-worker  than  be  made  a  slave  to  her 
father's  lust  for  gold;  in  her  anguish  she  prayed  that 
the  gold  might  be  sunk  in  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 
Why,  oh,  why,  did  not  Frank  come  back?  She  prayed 
that  God  might  send  an  angel  to  tell  her  when  he  would 
come  back.  At  last  she  cried  herself  to  sleep  and  in 
her  dreams  she  seemed  to  see  Frank  in  an  office  in  a 
beautiful  city,  in  a  wild  country  and  among  a  strange 
people;  when  he  saw  her  he  clasped  her  to  his  bosom 
and  said,  "O,  how  glad  you  have  made  me,  I  felt  sure 
you  had  been  sacrificed  to  some  millionaire  long 
before  this." 

The  dream  was  so  real  that  on  awaking  she  could 
hardly  realize  it  was  but  a  dream,  and  when  she  awoke 
in  the  morning  she  was  happy  in  spite  of  her  trouble. 
After  making  her  preparations  for  breakfast  she  con 
sulted  her  watch  and  finding  she  had  some  time  to 
spare,  went  into  the  garden.  The  sun  had  just  risen, 
to  shed  its  golden  light  on  nature's  broad  expanse; 
the  birds  in  drooping  branches  were  warbling  sweet 
notes  of  welcome ;  the  morning  glory  and  sunflower 
had  already  turned  their  faces  eastward  to  welcome  the 
coming  day;  the  dew  sparkled  on  every  leaf  and  flower; 
the  roses  drooped  in  rich  magnificence  and.pansies 
seemed  to  vie  with  them  for  beauty's  palm;  the  pink 
verbena  and  even  hollyhock  seemed  to  look  their  very 
best,  and  Rebecca  stood  for  a  long  time  entranced  by 
this  wonderful  display  of  God's  great  goodness;  finally 
her  heart  overflowed  and  she  sank  to  the  earth  and 
thanked  God  for  his  wonderful  goodness. 

After  breakfast  Mr.  Goldburg  went  as  usual  to  his 
office.  There  was  no  rest  for  him;  Sunday  was  often 
his  busiest  day. 

Rebecca  and  her  mother  went  to  church  and  the 
subject  was,  "Suffering  in  this  world  that  we  may 
inherit  glory  hereafter."  The  ideas  presented  by  their 
new  pastor  interested  them  very  much,  for  he  was  a 
man  far  in  advance  of  his  creed. 

On  reaching  home  the  place  seemed  to  be  enshrouded 
in  gloom.  A  family  storm  was  imminent.  Mrs.  Gold- 
burg  had  watched  the  effect  of  wealth  on  her  husband's 


1 68  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

disposition  too  closely  not  to  recognize  in  his  words 
the  day  before  a  determination  to  enforce  complete 
submission  to  his  will.  Rebecca  had  disregarded  his 
wishes  in  rejecting  proposals  of  marriage  from  several 
prominent  millionaires  and  it  was  now  evident  he 
would  use  extreme  measures.  She  knew  Rebecca  would 
resist  these  measures  to  the  bitter  end  and  would  never 
submit  to  be  forced  into  marriage  with  one  she  did  not 
love.  As  a  kind  mother,  she  felt  it  her  duty  to  shield 
her  daughter  from  her  father's  arbitrary  power,  even 
though  it  brought  about  a  separation,  which  she  felt 
it  was  sure  to  do.  From  threatening  remarks  of  her 
husband  she  had  long  feared  something  of  this  kind 
and  she  felt  that  opposition  now  would  lead  him  to 
carry  out  his  threat. 

They  were  not  long  in  the  house  before  a  servant 
handed  Mrs.  Goldburg  a  note  from  her  husband,  stating 
he  had  been  called  to  Boston  by  telegraph  and  might 
be  gone  a  month. 

On  Monday,  Mrs.  Goldburg's  attention  was  called  to 
a  case  of  destitution  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  a 
widow  and  her  only  daughter.  Rebecca,  taking  with 
her  the  colored  boy,  visited  them  and  found  the  girl 
suffering  from  a  slight  attack  of  biliousness;  she  gave 
them  money  and  promised  to  send  them  medicine.  On 
returning  home,  she  found  a  letter  awaiting  her,  post 
marked  Boston.  She  had  great  misgivings  in  opening 
it  and  as  she  suspected,  it  was  from  her  would-be 
suitor.  It  was  loving  in  the  extreme.  Feeling  pro 
voked  at  the  situation,  she  went  to  her  desk  and  replied, 
stating  that  she  had  regarded  him  simply  as  her  father's 
guest  and  as  such,  he  would  be  always  welcome,  but 
anything  further,  he  must  banish  from  his  mind  forever 

Having  finished*  the  letter,  she  placed  it  in  an  en 
velope,  directed  it  and  laid  it  aside. 

Taking  another  sheet  of  paper  she  wrote  to  the  sick 
girl  as  follows: 

MY  DEAR;  Take  five  pills  at  bedtime;  after  that  one 
each  day  until  you  are  all  right,  then  come  and  see  me. 

REBECCA. 

This    she    put   in    an  envelope,  also,  laid  it  on  the 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  l6g 

desk  and  set  a  box  of  pills  beside  it  to  be  sent  by  the 
black  boy  to  the  sick  girl  on  the  following  day;  this 
done,  she  set  a  copy  for  the  boy,  as  was  her  custom, 
called  him  in  and  set  him  to  writing.  She  had  already 
taught  him  to  write  quite  well,  but  she  kept  him 
practicing,  as  she  said,  to  keep  him  out  of  mischief; 
as  soon  as  he  was  at  work,  she  went  to  the  drawing 
room  to  receive  some  callers. 

No  sooner  had  Rebecca  gone,  than  the  black  boy 
dropped  his  pen,  took  the  two  letters  out  of  the 
envelopes  and  after  reading  both,  the  thought  struck 
him  to  play  a  gook  joke  on  the  Dude,  as  he  called  Mr. 
Goldaker,  by  changing  the  letters  in  the  envelopes;  to 
make  it  of  more  force,  he  added  to  Rebecca's  letter  to 
the  girl — copying  the  hand  as  near  as  possible — "you 
have  goldoramus;  this  will  cure  it. "  Then  putting  this 
in  the  envelope  addressed  to  the  Dude.  This  done  he 
put  the  two  letters  back  in  the  exact  place  he  had 
found  them. 

When  the  company  were  gone  Rebecca  ran  into  the 
room,  picked  up  the  letters,  examined  the  addresses 
to  see  that  everything  was  correct,  then  sealing  them, 
gave  Mr.  Goldaker's  letter  to  the  boy  and  sent  him  to 
post  it  at  once. 

When  the  letter  had  been  laid  on  Mr.  Goldaker's 
table,  he  was  delighted  at  its»early  coming  and  hailed 
it  as  a  good  omen;  he  opened  it  with  perfect  confi 
dence  of  having  his  love  returned;  but  what  must  have 
been  his  surprise  when  he  read: 

MY  DEAR;  Take  five  pills  at  bedtime;  after  that  one 
each  day  until  you  are  all  right,  then  come  and  see  me; 
you  have  goldoramus,  this  will  cure  it.  REBECCA. 

As  he  had  boasted  about  the  letter  that  he  would 
receive  from  Bopeep,  from  the  heiress  there,  his  two 
companions  in  the  office,  were  watching  him  and  ex 
pected  he  would  read  to  them  extracts,  at  least,  of  its 
expressions  of  love;  but  on  the  contrary,  he  hastily  put 
it  out  of  sight,  and  not  a  word  or  thought  did  he  divulge. 

That  night,  when  alone  in  his  room,  he  re-read  the 
letter,  studying  it  carefully;  then  resolved  to  do  a  little 
nice  detective  work.  The  first  thing  to  be  ascertained 


170  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

was  the  meaning  of  goldoramus;  he  could  not  find  the 
word  and  concluded  she  must  have  a  vocabulary  of  her 
own.  As  luck  would  have  it  there  was  a  woman  at  this 
time  cooking  in  the  Goldburg  household  that  had  worked 
in  his  father's  family  for  many  years,  so  he  wrote  to 
her  as  follows: 

MY  DEAR  MRS.  STRAW:  Please  burn  this  letter  and 
keep  it  all  a  secret.  What  I  want  you  to  do  is  to  find 
out  what  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  goldoramus  and 
let  me  know.  See  what  dictionary  the  folks  use  and 
then  find  the  word.  

As  soon  as  Mrs.  Straw  read  the  word  it  occurred  to 
her  that  she  had  heard  the  black  boy  use  it  often,  so 
she  called  him  and  asked  what  he  meant  by  goldoramus? 

"Don't  you  know  what  dat  means?"  said  the  boy. 

'No,"  said  the  woman,  "do  you?" 

"To  be  cors*  I  doz.  Missus  Becca  says  when  a  man 
wants  all  de  gole  das  in  de  world,  and  den  wants  to 
lend  it  to  de  people  to  use  for  money  and  den  wants  a 
mortgage  on  all  de  property  dar  is  on  de  earth,  den 
wants  people  to  pay  him  ten  per  cent  intrust  and  den 
in  ten  years  heel  have  all  his  gold  back  and  close  all 
de  mortgages  and  take  all  de  property,  den  wants  de 
people  to  borrow  de  gole  again  to  pay  rent  wid  and  so 
on,  and  so  on,  and  so  on,  den  Missus  Becca  says  dat 
man  hab  got  a  disease  and  it  am  called  goldoramus 
cause  its  caused  by  gold  and  is  bery  hard  to  cure.  ' 

This  was  lucky  and  Mrs.  Straw  took  down  the  state 
ment,  word  for  word,  and  sent  it  to  the  millionaire. 

Mr.  Goldaker  had  hoped  that  it  might  be  that  some 
one  had  sent  the  letter  to  him  for  a  trick,  but  on  receipt 
of  this  he  gave  that  theory  up.  He  was  not  yet  willing 
however  to  give  up  the  hope  of  getting  hold  of  so  large 
an  estate,  so  he  resolved  to  await  developments. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  expedition  from  Mr.  Brown's  attracted  great 
attention  in  the  villages  they  passed  through,  and 
being  with  Frank,  whose  name  had  been  handed  from 
tongue  to  tongue  throughout  the  whole  country,  they 
were  made  to  feel  welcome  everywhere,  and  on  reaching 
Kiyongo  the  natives  turned  out  enmasse  to  give  them 
welcome. 

The  King  offered  them  quarters  in  the  village,  but 
as  they  were  well  provided  with  tents  it  was  decided  to 
continue  on  to  the  old  military  post  and  there  establish 
a  permanent  camp. 

On  arriving  at  the  place  they  were  soon  comfortably 
fixed  and  Mr.  Baxter's  skill  soon  came  in  play  in  lay 
ing  off  the  grounds.  The  greatest  activity  prevailed 
but  Baxter,  Coy  and  Saunders  were  not  so  busy  but 
what  they  found  time  to  lay  plans  for  future  operations. 

Mr.  Coy  who  had  been  thoroughly  schooled  in  the 
way  the  bankers  and  money  sharks  had  robbed  the 
American  people  and  gobbled  up  the  property  of  a  vast 
continent  in  a  very  few  years,  said  to  his  two  com 
panions,  Baxter  and  Saunders,  "the  first  thing  to  do 
is  to  run  a  few  base  lines,  map  the  country  and  try  and 
get  a  grant;  now  is  the  time  to  get  it,  before  these 
people  learn  its  value." 

It  might  be  well  to  mention  here  that  Frank  had 
never  confided  in  any  one  concerning  his  plans  except 
Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Jefferson,  and  as  he  had  by  this 
time  learned  to  talk  the  native  language  there  was  no 
interpreter  with  the  expedition  except  those  under  his 
immediate  control  and  they  were  not  allowed  to  give 
any  information  in  regard  to  the  mines  or  to  the  gold. 
He  had  daily  conference  with  the  King,  also  with 
Lincoln  and  Jefferson,  in  whom  he  had  learned  to 


172  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

implicit  confidence,  and  it  was  finally  decided  to  call  a 
convention  of  the  Kings  to  be  assembled  two  months 
from  that  time,  and  that  during  the  interval  they  were 
to  secure  the  services  of  Mr.  Baxter  to  look  out  a  route 
for  a  railroad  to  the  great  river.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  to  go 
in  charge  of  the  expedition,  and  Frank  and  Mr.  Jeffer 
son  were  to  remain  behind  and  put  up  a  building.  It 
was  decided  also  that  the  missionaries  should  remain 
in  camp  until  the  Kings  assembled,  when  it  was 
believed  that  arrangements  could  be  made  for  all. 

When  Mr.  Baxter's  services  were  solicited  as  engineer 
to  look  out  and  make  a  preliminary  survey  of  a  route 
for  a  railroad  to  the  great  river,  he  entered  into  the 
work  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm  and  said  that  all  the 
pay  he  would  ask  was  to  be  comfortably  furnished 
with  suitable  escorts  and  assistance  and  he  would  make 
one  map  for  Mr.  Bundy  and  one  for  himself  and  that 
a  copy  of  all  notes  made  should  be  turned  over  for 
future  reference;  so  the  expedition  embarked  at  once, 
consisting  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  Baxter,  Saunders  and  Coy, 
and  also  two  of  the  missionaries  who  had  volunteered 
their  services.  They  were  furnished  with  an  escort  of 
ten  men,  and  as  they  shipped  in  canoes  to  the  foot  of 
the  lake,  an  order  on  the  King  of  that  time  was  given 
them  for  provisions  and  pack  animals;  they  were  also 
furnished  with  an  interpreter. 

After  this  expedition  had  started  messengers  were 
dispatched  in  every  direction  to  summon  the  Kings  to 
a  council  to  be  held  two  months  from  that  time. 

Now  that  this  business  had  been  attended  to,  Frank 
was  left  to  a  consideration  of  home  affairs.  Some  of 
the  Missionaries  had  already  called  his  attention  to  the 
great  beauties  of  the  place  where  their  camp  was 
situated  and  said  they  had  been  talking  up  the  possi- 
bilities  of  establishing  a  large  mission  there  and  making 
it  the  headquarters  of  the  whole  Missionary  work.  It 
being  situated  on  the  lake  would  make  easy  communi 
cation  with  the  different  tribal  kingdoms. 

Frank  encouraged  their  plans  and  as  one  of  the  Mis 
sionaries  was  a  civil  engineer  and  had  an  instrument 
along,  it  was  arranged  to  lay  off  a  town,  and  when  the 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  173 

survey  was  completed  Frank  made  it  known  that  he 
intended  to  take  a  party  of  natives  with  whip  saws, 
crosscuts  and  axes  and  go  up  the  river  to  the  pineries 
and  get  out  lumber  for  a  building  and  raft  it  down. 
This  idea  seemed  to  strike  a  sympathetic  chord  among 
the  missionaries- and  they  at  once  decided  to  accompany 
him  and,  as  there  were  plenty  of  canoes  and  men  to 
man  them,  the  expedition  was  soon  on  its  way. 

The  Missionaries  were  not  drones  but  the  reverse  of 
this;  they  were  generally  men  of  nerve,  men  of  muscle 
and  men  of  brains,  and  now  that  they  were  out  from 
the  thralldom  of  church  discipline  their  minds  were 
beginning  to  expand,  and  as  they  were  often  found 
reading  the  teachings  of  Christ,  Frank  had  strong 
hopes  that  they  would  eventually  accept  those  teach 
ings  in  their  simplicity,  in  their  purity,  unobscured  by 
church  creed  and  musty  dogmas.  They  had  enlisted 
to  carry  Christianity  to  the  heart  of  Africa,  at  a  sacri 
fice  of  even  life,  if  it  became  necessary,  and  if  they 
could  be  induced  to  lay  aside  their  dogmas  and  creeds 
and  teach  truth  and  justice  he  felt  they  would  be  a 
power. 

The  ladies  were  mild,  lovable,  but  courageous  in  the 
work  they  had  undertaken  and  ready  to  do  anything  in 
their  power  to  further  the  interests  of  their  mission, 
and  a  trip  to  the  great  forests  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  the  much  needed  lumber,  to  them  seemed 
eminently  proper.  When  once  encamped  among  the 
great  pines  they  would  breathe  nature's  pure,  inspiring 
atmosphere  laden  with  the  rich  perfumes,  common  to 
those  woodlands,  hold  their  meetings  of  worship  at 
night  and  assist  during  the  day  in  making  the  camp 
comfortable  for  those  who  were  so  busily  engaged  in 
getting  lumber  to  put  up  two  buildings,  one  for  the 
new  government  and  one  for  the  mission  school. 

As  soon  as  they  returned  with  the  lumber  it  was 
stacked  up  for  drying.  A  large  tent  was  stretched  and 
put  in  readiness  for  the  coming  convention.  A  part  of 
the  lumber  came  in  good  play  for  tables,  benches,  etc., 
and  while  the  men  were  attending  to  the  preliminaries 
the  ladies  had  no'v  been  idle;  beneath  the  boughs  of  a 


174  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

great  live  oak  they  had  set  a  table  and  formed  a  class 
of  boys  and  girls,  among  whom  were  the  two  inter 
preters,  and  teaching  of  the  rudiments  of  the  English 
language  was  commenced.  In  this  school  the  natives 
made  such  rapid  progress  in  mastering  English  that  in 
less  than  one  month  fifty  native  families  had  moved  to 
the  town  to  give  their  children  a  chance  to  attend  the 
school.  The  natives  had  never  seen  as  yet  anything 
of  the  whites  but  kindness,  justice  and  protection  and 
they  had  learned  to  look  on  them  as  a  species  of 
good  spirit. 

A  few  days  before  the  appointed  time  for  the  con 
vention  the  Kings  began  to  drop  in;  some  came  in 
canoes,  others  with  burros,  and  the  surveyors'  expedi 
tion  also  returned  on  time,  having  gathered  informa 
tion  from  which  a  very  accurate  map  of  that  part  of 
the  country  could  be  made,  and  it  was  found  that  the 
most  practicable  route  for  a  railroad  from  the  river  to 
the  lake  would  be  about  one  hundred  miles. 

When  the  time  arrived  for  the  convention  there  were 
thirty  of  the  Kings  on  the  ground  and  it  was  agreed 
that  they,  with  all  the  whites  were  to  have  equal  voice 
in  the  convention;  the  assistance  of  the  ladies  was 
solicited  but  they  all  declined. 

On  the  day  appointed,  the  convention  came  to  order 
by  calling  Mr.  Bundy  to  the  chair  and  Mr.  Lincoln  as 
secretary.  The  object  of  the  meeting  was  then  stated 
and  after  prayer  by  Mr.  Taylor,  one  of  the  missionaries, 
the  convention  was  declared  read^  for  business. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  a  committee  of  three 
was  appointed  by  the  chair,  as  follows:  Mr.  Jefferson, 
Kemp  and  Coy  to  draft  articles  which  might  be  debated 
and  afterward  used  as  a  guide  to  frame  a  constitution. 

An  hour  was  then  spent  in  hearing  remarks  from 
different  members,  after  which  the  convention  adjourned 
until  nine  o'clock  the  next  day. 

On  the  following  day  the  convention  was  called  to 
order  promptly  at  nine  o'clock,  Mr.  Bundy  in  the 
chair;  after  roll  call  the  report  of  the  committee  was 
called  for  and  Mr.  Jefferson  responded,  stating  that  the 
committee  had  failed  to  agree,  but  that  he  had  formu- 


AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  175 

lated  a  few  thoughts  as  they  suggested  themselves 
which  he  would  bring  before  the  convention  and  such 
points  as  appeared  objectionable  could  be  stricken  out; 
he  then  proceeded  to  read  as  follows: 

RIGHTS    OF    MAN. 

That  all  mankind  are  created  free  and  equal,  endowed 
with  certain  inherent  rights;  that  of  worshiping  God 
according  to  the  dictates  of  his  or  her  own  conscience, 
of  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness;  that  by 
nature  all  are  equally  entitled  to  the  products  of  nature, 
which  are  the  gifts  of  God. 

That  governments  are  formed  for  the  purpose  of 
protecting  each  member  in  all  these  things,  and  while 
a  solitary  citizen,  man,  woman  or  child,  is  living 
hungry  or  half  clad,  government  is  a  failure. 

That  poverty,  ignorance  and  want  are  more  formida 
ble  enemies  than  invading  armies,  and  that  the  greatest 
object  to  be  attained  by  forming  government  is  to 
prevent  poverty  and  want  and  to  overcome  ignorance, 
by  wholesome  education  and  protect  life  commensurate 
with  human  happiness. 

That  the  right  to  make  laws  belongs  to  the  people 
and  should  never  be  delegated  to  any  man  or  set  of 
men,  and  no  act  should  become  law  until  passed  by 
two  houses  and  voted  upon  by  the  people. 

That  air,  land  and  water  are  the  lawful  inheritance 
of  all  and  should  in  no  case  be  monopolized  by  any 
man  or  set  of  men,  individual  or  incorporation  to  the 
exclusion  of  others  except  so  far  as  may  be  necessary 
for  their  own  individual  use,  and  that  whenever  the 
use  of  land  is  discontinued  for  two  years  it  shall  revert 
to  government  and  become  public  domain. 

That  the  right  of  property  must  ever  remain  sacred, 
and  be  protected  by  such  inheritance  laws  as  will  for 
ever  prevent  an  aggregation  of  property  or  wealth  in 
the  hands  of  a  few,  and  the  strong  arm  of  the  Republic 
should  be  thrown  around  the  family  and  its  home. 

That  to  secure  the  right  of  property  among  the  people 
it  is  hereby  declared  to  be  one  of  the  fundamental 
principles  of  this  government  that  no  man,  woman, 
child  or  association  shall  in  any  way  inherit  more  than 


176  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

$100,000  of  money  or  property,  and  if  any  man,  woman 
or  child  sell  or  transfer  property  to  one  of  his  lawful 
heirs,  at  the  death  of  the  giver,  the  same  airmunt  shall 
be  considered  an  inheritance  and  all  above  '$100,000 
shall  revert  to  the  government. 

That  the  experience  of  nations  has  demonstrated 
beyond  doubt  that  wealth  is  power,  and  when  concen 
trated  in  the  hands  of  a  few  becomes  dangerous  to  the 
existence  of  good  government,  and  it  is  therefore 
declared  to  be  the  policy  of  our  people  to  levy  an 
income  tax  that  will  prevent  any  man's  income  from 
exceeding  $10,000  per  year. 

That  all  property  or  money  belonging  to  any  man, 
woman  or  association  above  $100,000  shall  be  consid 
ered  a  surplus  and  his  or  their  right  to  hold  the  same 
shall  only  exist  during  the  life  of  the  holder,  and  then 
in  default  of  heirs  revert  to  the  government. 

That  history  teaches  from  time  immemorial,  clans 
and  sects  have  been  a  prominent  factor  in  the  way  of 
human  progress;  that  political  parties  being  in  a  direct 
line  of  descent  from  these  clans  are  looked  upon  as 
being  dangerous  to  the  honest  exercise  of  good  gov 
ernment,  and  it  is  the  policy  of  this  government  that 
they  be  prohibited  by  law. 

That  the  competition  in  the  civilized  world  and  par 
ticularly  in  the  United  States  between  joint  stock  com 
panies  and  private  enterprise  has  proved  beyond  all 
question  or  doubt  that  incorporated  joint  stock  compa 
nies  thoroughly  and  systematically  organized  are  the 
strongest  and  most  economic  method  of  doing  business, 
yet  developed.  It  is  therefore  declared  to  be  the  policy 
of  this  government  that  all  business  where  a  working 
capital  of  over  $100,000  is  required  may  be  done  by 
*n  incorporated  company,  organized  after  the  form 
herein  prescribed. 

That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  convention  that  the  con 
stitution  of  the  United  States  of  America  contains  the 
best  formulated  rules  and  principles  for  the  guidance 
of  good  government  yet  invented  and  that  it  should  be 
consulted  extensively  in  framing  our  constitution. 

That  money  is   not  property   but  a  means  of  trans- 


AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

ferring  property,  that  its  value  consists  in  the  ability 
of  the  holder  to  exchange  it  for  property;  it  is  a  note 
of  credit  with  the  government  at  its  back;  it  represents 
the  confidence  of  the  people  in  the  ability  of  the  gov 
ernment  to  perform  its  functions,  and  as  the  people  are 
the  government  it  represents  the  confidence  we  have  in 
ourselves. 

That  silver  may  be  used  for  coins  ranging  from  ten 
cents  to  one  dollar,  their  weight  regulated  for  con 
venience  without  regard  to  cost  of  material. 

That  to  make  money  of  gold  or  any  other  substance, 
where  the  value  of  the  substance  is  liable  to  fluctuate 
and  where  the  amount  in  existence  is  limited  to  the 
chance  of  finding,  is  an  error  of  the  past  simply 
because  money  should  only  be  limited  to  the  necessities 
arising  for  its  use.  It  is  therefore  declared  to  be  the 
policy  of  this  government  in  order  to  foster  and 
encourage  mining,  that  all  surplus  gold,  silver,  copper 
and  lead  be  bought  up,  run  into  bars  convenient  for 
handling  and  kept  for  future  use  or  foreign  trade. 

That  in  order  to  supply  the  people  with  money  and 
a  safe  place  of  deposit,  government  should  provide 
sub-treasuries  where  the  business  of  the  place  will 
warrant  it. 

That  in  organizing  our  government:  it  should  have  a 
department  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  and  con 
trolling  joint  stock  companies.  This  department  should 
be  sub-divided  as  follows:  Railroad  and  transportation 
department;  Telegraph  and  news  gathering  department; 
Ship  building  department;  Steamboat  and  navigation 
department;  Commercial  department;  Manufacturing 
department;  Mining  department,  and  so  on  throughout 
every  branch  of  business. 

METHOD    OF   ORGANIZING    COMPANIES. 

In  any  town  or  village  where  a  wholesale  store 
becomes  necessary,  requiring  a  capital  of  $100,000  or 
over,  a  mass  meeting  may  be  called  and  resolutions 
adopted  setting  forth  the  necessities  of  such  an  institu 
tion;  the  report  of  this  meeting  should  be  published  in 
all  local  papers  for  at  least  one  month  prior  to  election 
and  then  be  voted  on. 


17  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

The  officers  necessary  to  run  a  wholesale  store  of 
this  kind  should  consist  of  president,  secretary  and 
general  manager;  suitable  persons  to  fill  these  places 
should  be  elected  and  anybody  become  a  candidate  by 
publishing  a  card  to  that  effect.  The  persons  elected 
as  officers  should  lay  a  report  of  all  the  proceedings 
before  the  chief  of  department,  who  would  lay  the 
same  before  Congress,  and  when  approved  by  that 
body,  it  would  be  returned  to  the  chief  of  department, 
who  would  grant  commissions  to  the  officers  and  cause 
stock  on  the  company  to  be  struck  in  ten  dollar  shares, 
to  the  amount  of  the  capital  required;  the  same  amount 
in  full  legal  tender  money  of  the  government,  together 
with  the  stock,  be  sent  to  the  sub-treasury  nearest  the 
place  of  business,  the  money  to  be  subject  to  the  order 
of  the  president  of  the  company  and  the  stock  kept  on 
sale.  All  joint  stock  companies  should  be  organized 
in  the  same  or  similar  manner. 

Railroads,  steamboat  lines,  telegraphs,  manufactories, 
in  fact,  every  enterprise  where  $100,000  or  over  is 
required,  should  be  organized  and  operated  on  the 
same  general  principle;  the  government  furnishes  the 
money  and  the  people  do  the  work;  keeping  it  in  mind, 
that  money  is  only  a  means  to  facilitate  business 
transactions. 

That  money  is  not  capital — labor  is  capital;  and 
money  is  a  measure  that  enables  capital  to  operate. 
We  have  a  whole  continent  of  fertile  land;  it  is  not 
capital.  We  have  great  mountains,  no  doubt  contain 
ing  rich  mines;  that  is  not  capital.  A  London  banker 
would  not  give  ten  cents  for  this  whole  continent 
without  labor;  therefore  we.  conclude  that  labor  is 
capital  and  money  a  means — nothing  more — and  for  a 
government  to  fail  to  provide  a  sufficient  amount  of 
money  to  keep  every  man  at  work,  is  a  crime  against 
man  and  a  crime  against  God. 

All  large  business  being  run  on  the  same  general 
principle,  it  naturally  follows  that  the  sub-treasury  will 
be  constantly  well  supplied  with  stock  of  all  kinds  and 
all  the  savings  of  the  country  will  pass  back  into  the 
treasury  in  exchange  for  stock. 


AN     IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  179 

The  officers  of  a  company  are  elected  by  the  people 
but  receive  their  commissions  from  the  chief  of  the 
department,  who  may  at  any  time  remove  them  for 
cause,  and  appoint  others,  subject  to  the  approval  of 
the  Senate. 

Railroads  beiQg  built  on  the  same  general  plan — for 
increase  of  road — an  increase  of  stock  should  also  be 
issued  and  kept  on  sale. 

All  joint  stock  business  should  be  so  regulated  that 
it  will  pay  seven  per  cent  on  stock;  five  per  cent  of 
this  to  be  paid  to  the  stockholder  and  the  remainder 
retained  by  the  government  to  create  a  fund,  from 
which  a  full  dividend  and  arrearages  will  be  paid  on 
all  stock  of  companies  that  have  run  behind;  the  balance 
to  be  turned  into  the  treasury. 

Should  there  be  found  a  fund  in  the  treasury  increas 
ing  from  this  and.  other  sources  that  threatens  to  so  far 
contract  the  currency  as  to  depress  business,  then  fares 
and  freights  may  be  reduced  and  public  work  com 
menced  that  will  keep  the  money  in  circulation. 

Newspapers,  publishing  houses,  and  colleges  may  be 
run  on  the  same  general,  joint  stock  plan. 

That  it  shall  be  the  business  of  every  sub-treasury 
to  keep  stock  constantly  on  hand  and  exchange  the 
same  for  money  or  buy  stock  at  its  face  value  at  any 
and  all  times. 

That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  Congress  to  fix  the  rate 
of  all  wages  for  all  joint-stock  companies  and  it  should 
be  fixed,  as  nearly  as  possible,  after  the  following 
plan:  Take  the  price  of  good  board  and  lodging  for 
one  day  and  multiply  by  four;  that  should  constitute  a 
days' s  wages. 

Should  it  occur  at  any  time  that  there  are  more  men 
in  the  country  than  can  get  work,  government  should 
commence  public  work  at  once  that  will  furnish 
employment  for  every  man  and  passes  should  be  given 
over  all  the  roads  to  the  work. 

That  government  should  have  a  detective  system, 
with  representatives  in  every  city,  town  and  hamlet 
and  all  branches  of  business  be  so  thoroughly  and 
systematically  guarded  as  to  remove  all  possibility  of  a 


l8o  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

practice  of  the  famous  knock-down  system  so  common 
in  the  United  States  of  America. 

When  Mr.  Jefferson  finished,  a  profound  silence 
reigned;  the  natives  occupied  seats  on  one  side  of  the 
hall,  the  whites  on  the  other;  it  was  evident  from  the 
commencement  of  reading  that  the  articles  would  find 
but  little  favor  among  the  white  members  outside  of 
Lincoln,  Jefferson  and  Bundy;  but  these  men  felt  that 
a  force  was  about  to  be  put  in  motion  that  no  hand 
could  stay  or  control;  and  its  effect,  good  or  bad,  upon 
the  progress  of  mankind,  would  depend  largely  upon 
what  kind  of  force  it  was. 

"The  human  family,"  said  Mr.  Jefferson,  "are  con 
stantly  looking  for  a  guiding  star.  Our  government 
must  be  that  star;  its  brilliancy  will  depend  upon  its 
power  for  the  good  of  all.  As  we  approach  a  higher 
plane  of  civilization,  man's  brilliancy  must  depend 
upon  intellect  and  honesty  of  purpose  and  not,  as  now, 
upon  wealth,  chicanery  and  show.  Classes  must  fade 
and  pass  away;  creeds  and  dogmas  be  forever  destroyed; 
religion  simplified  to  the  Commandments  and  Golden 
Rule.  These  are  now  covered  up  in  the  fog  of  creeds, 
'dogmas  and  superstitions.  Churches  must  be  shorn  of 
their  money  making  practices  by  destroying  the  power 
of  gold,  and  God's  blessing  be  meted  out  to  all  and 
His  holy  light  shine  upon  mankind  in  all  its  brilliancy 
and  splendor." 

The  reader  will  remember  that  Coy  and  Saunders 
were  bank  defaulters  and  had  their  gold  buried,  as 
gold  always  is  when  most  needed,  only  waiting  for 
legislation  to  give  it  value.  They  had  been  schooled 
in  the  methods  by  which  great  countries  had  been  and 
were  being  controlled  by  bankers  through  the  use  of 
gold.  Mr.  Baxter  was  to  them  a  willing  tool  and 
would  share  largely  in  their  profits,  if  favorable  legisla 
tion  could  be  secured;  at  present  the  only  value  their 
gold  had  was  in  the  superstitious  idea  of  the  white 
men  that  its  use  as  money  was  among  the  fixed  princi 
ples  of  government  which  could  not  be  altered. 

They  had  talked  the  matter  over  the  night  before 
and  formulated  a  plan  to  start  a  National  Bank,  and  as 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  l8l 

they  had  all  the  money  in  the  country,  they  would 
keep  it  in  reserve  and  loan  the  new  government 
$600,000  of  good,  sound,  paper  money,  based  on  their 
$200,000  in  gold. 

For  this  $600,000  loan  to  the  new  government  they 
would  take  bonds  with  interest  payable  semi-annually; 
then  they  would  deposit  these  bonds  and  be  allowed  by 
law,  to  issue  ninety  per  cent  of  the  amount  in  good, 
honest  paper  money,  secured  by  the  bonds,  and  loan  it 
to  the  people;  when  that  money  was  all  gone,  they 
could  get  a  law  passed,  allowing  them  to  deposit  their 
notes  and  securities  and  issue  another  ninety  per  cent 
on  them,  and  so  keep  on,  and  not  only  supply  the 
government  with  all  the  money  needed,  but  keep  the 
people  well  supplied  and  at  a  very  reasonable  interest. 
"This  plan,"  said  Saunders,  "is  based  upon  true  prin 
ciples  of  banking,  and  any  one  familiar  with  banks 
and  banking,  will  know  it  is  not  unreasonable.  We 
have  the  gold  to  base  our  money  on  and  of  course  it 
will  be  sound  currency;  should  any  man  doubt  our 
ability  to  furnish  all  the  money  required  for  the  whole 
country,  let  him  look  at  the  Bank  of  England;  it 
started  less  than  two  centuries  ago,  with  a  handful  of 
gold  and  a  few  government  securities  and  upon  this 
same  plan,  it  has  loaned  money  to  the  government 
until  the  government  debt  became  so  great,  that  the 
thought  of  ever  paying  it,  has  long  since  been  aban 
doned  and  the  people  have  settled  down  to  the  idea 
that  they  must  pay  interest  as  long  as  the  government 
lasts.  So-called  wise  statesmen  are  proclaiming  the 
doctrine  that  a  government  debt  is  a  government 
blessing." 

Mr.  Coy  said,  "the  United  States  had  established 
the  same  system  of  banking  and  under  its  bracing 
influence,  the  country  is  prospering  immensety;  million 
aires  are  springing  up  all  over  the  country  and  the 
wealthy  classes  would  soon  be  as  permanently  recog 
nized  as  in  England." 

The  course  pursued  by  these  men  will  not  cause 
surprise  when  the  reader  remembers  the  fact  that  the 
bankers  of  other  countries  fought  the  plan  ot  govern- 


1 82  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

ment  issuing  and  controlling  the  money  in  the  interest 
of  the  people.  Having  this  grand  money  making 
scheme  already  planned,  they  were  prepared  to  bring  it 
before  the  great  convention. 

The  Missionaries,  as  has  been  stated,  were  men  of 
brains  but  their  reasoning  faculties  had  been  dulled  by 
swallowing  dogmas;  now  that  they  had  mastered  the 
art  of  believing  the  most  absurd  theories,  without 
evidence,  they  were  satisfied  to  simply  teach  and 
preach  and  left  others  to  do  the  work.  They  looked 
upon  bankers  as  a  peculiar  kind  of  being  whom  God 
had,  for  some  mysterious  reason,  designed  to  be 
millionaires  and  then  forgot  to  mention  it  in  His  book; 
that  they  were  endowed  with  the  special  faculty  of 
understanding  finances;  so  much  so,  that  even  Con 
gressmen  allowed  them  to  dictate  laws,  and  Presidents 
made  them  their  first  counselors.  To  form  a  govern 
ment  and  run  it  without  bankers,  was  something 
unprecedented,  and  when  they  learned  that  Coy  and 
Saunders  were  not  only  bankers,  schooled  in  the  art, 
but  that  they  actually  had  the  gold  in  hand  to  base 
their  business  upon,  they  felt  sure  God  had  sent  them 
there  for  the  express  purpose  of  furnishing  the  new 
government  with  money;  they  looked  upon  Mr.  Jeffer 
son  as  a  kind  of  political  heretic  and  were  likely  to 
oppose  his  extreme  measures. 

President  Bundy  had  watched  the  course  of  things 
and  being  fully  impressed  with  the  importance  of 
discussions  in  such  matters,  stated  that  the  document 
was  before  the  house  and  must  be  disposed  of. 

A  motion  was  then  made  by  Mr.  Coy  to  lay  it  on  the 
table  and  that  a  copy  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  be  taken  up  by  sections,  and  adopted  or  rejected 
by  vote.  Mr.  Coy  spoke  in  favor  of  the  motion  and 
branded  the  articles  as  a  mass  of  absurdities  and  its 
author  as  a  political  fanatic  or  an  escaped  Kansas- 
calamity-howler;  when  he  had  finished,  Mr.  Jefferson 
explained  at  some  length  that  concentrated  wealth  had 
been  the  oppressor  ot  mankind  from  time  immemorial; 
rivers  of  blood  had  been  poured  out  to  satisfy  man's 
greed;  it  was  not  confined  to  any  particular  country  or 


AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  183 

people,  but  in  all  countries  and  in  every  age,  the  con 
centration  of  wealth  had  often  become  a  power  stronger 
than  government  itself.  In  the  United  States,  said  he, 
unbridled  greed  has  concentrated  property  so  rapidly, 
that  the  most  intelligent,  the  most  industrious  people 
the  world  has  ever  produced,  are  being  reduced  to  a 
state  of  penury,  if  not  into  absolute  slavery. 

"No  good,"  said  he,  "ever  came  to  the  masses  from 
the  concentration  of  wealth.  Wherever  millionaires 
exist,  paupers  must  also  be  found.  Suppose  the 
average  wealth  per  capita  is  $500;  it  will  take  two 
thousand  paupers  to  make  one  millionaire:  or  in  other 
words,  a  man  will  have  to  rob  two  thousand  men  to 
become  a  millionaire,  for  it  is  a  demonstrated  fact  that 
no  man  can  begin  with  $500  and  by  legitimate  business 
become  a  millionaire  in  a  natural  lifetime;  therefore 
every  man  who  accumulates  $1,000,000  in  his  lifetime 
is  as  much  a  robber  as  a  Younger  or  a  James. 

"But  suppose  a  man  accumulates  $100,000,000,  how 
many  men  has  he  robbed,  and  how  many  families  have 
lost  their  homes?  Two  thousand  paupers  for  each 
million  would  reach  the  immense  sum  of  200.000  men 
made  poor  and  their  families  turned  into  the  street  or 
forced  to  pay  rent,  with  no  home  to  beautify,  no  place 
to  call  their  own,  and  what  have  we  gained  by  this 
wholesale  devastation?  Simply  this,  the  right  of  one 
man  to  domineer  over  others  and  make  a  display  of 
his  ill  gotten  gains.  Is  this  right?  The  American 
who  thinks  so  should  kiss  his  half-starved  wife  and 
babies  on  election  morning,  give  them  a  picture  of  the 
millionaire  in  his  castle,  with  his  liveried  servants, 
his  palace  car,  his  yacht,  his  coach  and  four,  and  gold 
galore;  yes,  give  her  this  beautiful  picture  cut  from  a 
goldbug  paper,  and  tell  her  how  rich  and  prosperous 
our  country  is;  then  go  to  the  polls  and  vote  for  these 
good  old  parties  and  politicians  who  have  by  their 
legislation  brought  about  this  state  of  things. 

"A  tew  short  years  ago,  nature's  God  presented  the 
American  people  with  a  whole  continent  of  virgin  soil 
and  mountains  containing  mines  of  every  description. 
The  people  who  were  living  under  the  oppressive  laws 


184  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

of  monetary  despotism  in  the  old  world,  escaped  from 
their  thralldom  and  went  to  the  United  "States  for 
homes.  After  the  close  of  the  war,  so  large  a  quantity 
of  money  had  been  turned  loose  that  the  people  fairly 
jumped  for  joy.  Vast  forests  were  cleared;  prairies 
were  broken  up,  new  homes  made  and  old  ones 
beautified.  Laborers  came  and  went,  singing,  "Uncle 
Sam  is  rich  enough  to  give  us  all  a  farm."  The  great 
continent  belonged  to  the  people  and  all  they  asked 
was  a  market  for  their  surplus  production — such  as 
corn,  wheat,  barley,  bacon,  rice,  cotton,  tobacco;  we 
had  immense  forests  of  valuable  timber,  and  twelve 
states  and  territories  producing  fabulous  amounts  of 
gold,  silver  and  copper. 

"The  people  owned  all  this  vast  wealth  at  this  time 
and  every  man  and  woman  found  profitable  employment 
according  to  their  strength  and  ability.  All  were  happy 
and  life  was  a  pleasure. 

"Take  a  present  look  at  that  vast  country — who 
owns  it  and  what  gave  they  for  its  wealth? 

"Have  the  farmers  produced  a  surplus?     Yes. 

It  can  only  be  estimated  by  billions.  What  was  done 
with  it?  Sold  to  foreign  countries.  The  farmers  must 
be  getting  rich!  No,  they  are  getting  poorer  all  the 
time.  Where  have  all  these  billions  of  surplus  products 
gone?  The  great  statesmen  say  it  was  over-production 
that  made  this  disastrous  condition  of  affairs.  Was  the 
surplus  destroyed?  No,  it  was  sold.  Where  is  the 
money?  Don't  know.  Millionaires  have  sprung  up 
on  every  hand,  but  their  transactions  are  all  legal,  then 
they  must  be  getting  the  benefit  of  the  farmer's  toil 
legally.  That  makes  the  farmer  a  slave. 

"But  how  about  the  gold  and  silver  miners?  They 
must  have  millions  piled  up.  No,  there  is  not  enough 
gold  in  the  country  to  pay  the  interest  on  the  entire 
indebtedness  to  foreign  countries  for  ten  years.  What 
has  become  of  the  vast  product  of  gold,  silver  and 
copper?  Gone  to  England,  I  presume.  Then  England 
must  owe  the  United  States  a  large  sum.  No,  the 
United  States  owes  England.  What  has  England 
given  the  United  States  for  this  vast  quantity  of  gold 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  185 

and  silver  and  other  productions?  The  only  thing  I 
can  think  of  is  interest  and  confidence.  Their  interest 
is  always  due  and  when  they  want  an  act  of  Congress 
passed  in  their  behalf,  they  lose  confidence,  and  in 
order  to  gain  that  confidence,  the  exception  was  put  on 
the  greenback^,  as  time  rolled  on  they  lost  confidence 
again,  and  to  regain  it  the  strengthening  act  had  to  be 
passed,  by  which  the  national  debt  was  doubled  at  one 
foul  stroke.  But  even  this  did  not  fully  restore  confi 
dence,  and  in  order  to  complete  the  job  the  national 
money  had  to  be  withdrawn  and  burned  to  increase 
the  interest  bearing  debt  and  compel  the  people  to 
borrow  British  gold  to  do  business  with. 

"All  this  was  done  for  confidence.  If  some  of  our 
great  mathematicians  would  figure  this  out  and  show 
just  how  much  it  has  cost  the  American  people  to  buy 
British  confidence,  it  would  form  an  interesting  chapter 
in  political  economy. 

"Now  in  all  candor  I  would  ask  where  is  this  vein 
of  unbridled  accumulation  to  end?  Millionaires  have 
already  become  so  powerful  that  they  control  the  law- 
making  power,  and  as  greed  has  no  limit,  they  will 
continue  their  legal  robbery  until  the  many  will  be 
even  worse  off  than  slaves  and  the  few  will  be  wasting 
property  in  vain  display.  Is  this  government  by  the 
people,  of  the  people,  and  for  the  people?  If  so,  then 
we  might  well  say,  God  pity  the  people. 

"Here  we  have  a  vast  continent  similar  to  that  of 
the  United  States;  when  it  is  known  that  there  is 
protection  here  and  homes  for  all,  the  most  intelligent 
and  industrious  people  of  that  country  will  rush  from 
there  by  the  millions  to  secure  those  homes.  Will 
bankers  come?  Not  one.  They  would  not  give  you 
ten  cents  for  all  these  rich  farming  lands  until  people 
come  here  and  want  them.  Then  they  will  send  their 
money  here  and  buy  up  extensive  tracts  of  land  and  let 
them  lie  idle,  fenced  by  statute  law.  Is  it  right  for  a 
man  to  control  the  good  things  of  earth  and  neither 
use  them  himself  nor  let  others  use  them?  No  one 
will  assert  that  an  act  of  this  kind  is  for  the  good  of 
the  masses. 


l86  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

"It  has  been  shown  that  to  make  one  millionaire, 
you  must  take  the  whole  property  of  two  thousand 
people.  The  man  who  makes  the  million  gives  nothing 
in  return  but  poverty;  if  he  did,  he  would  not  have 
made  that  amount  but  simply  traded  for  it.  It  there 
fore  follows  that  for  every  million  dollars  which  Gould, 
the  Astors,  Vanderbilts  or  any  other  man  has  made 
in  the  United  States  since  the  war,  two  thousand  men 
have  been  robbed  of  all  they  had.  Will  any  one  tell 
me  that  laws  that  make  this  possible  are  for  the  good 
of  the  people? 

"We  are  now  about  to  organize  a  government  that 
will  control  the  destinies  of  millions;  shall  it  be  a 
monarchy  or  republic?  Laying  aside  all  rules,  I  want 
every  man  favoring  a  republic  to  hold  up  his  hand." 

All  looked  at  Mr.  Bundy  and  as  they  thought  of  the 
power  he  wielded  among  the  natives,  all  held  up  their 
hands  simultaneously. 

"A  Republic  it  shall  be,  and  the  question  arises, 
what  kind  of  Republic?  Do  we  want  a  repetition  of 
what  has  occurred  in  the  United  States  in  the  matter 
of  concentrating  wealth  in  the  hands  of  a  few?" 

The  missionaries  all  said,  no. 

"Shall   our   legislation  be  for  the  many  or  the  few?" 

All  said,  for  the  many. 

"Then  what  I  want  is  for  some  man  to  suggest  a  law 
that  will  hold  land  beyond  the  reach  of  bankers,  gold- 
gamblers  and  speculators.  I  have  given  you  the  best 
thought  I  had  on  that  subject.  As  soon  as  our  govern 
ment  is  formed  it  will  own  all  the  land  except  such  as 
is  reserved  for  the  different  tribes.  Whenever  the 
government  commences  selling  land,  the  door  will  be 
open  to  money-sharks,  land  speculators,  and  mortgage- 
fiends.  I  know  of  but  one  way  to  prevent  land  from 
passing  into  the  hands  of  speculators  and  that  is,  for 
government  to  make  no  sale  of  it  at  all. 

"The  land  should  ever  remain  the  property  of  the 
government  and  its  use  should  be  given  to  the  people 
by  a  law  similar  to  the  pre-emption  law  of  the  United 
States,  allowing  a  man  the  privilege  of  going  on  to  any 
piece  of  vacant  land  and  by  filing  on  the  same,  hold  it 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

as  long  as  he  keeps  it  in  use,  with  the  privilege  ot 
selling  his  possessory  title  or,  at  his  death,  leave  it  to 
such  of  his  heirs  as  choose  to  occupy  it ;  but  when 
abandoned  for  two  years,  to  revert  to  government. 

"Our  money  should  be  made  by  the  government,  a 
full  legal  tencfer,  its  value  regulated  without  regard  to 
cost  of  material  of  which  it  is  made,  and  as  land  is  the 
most  valuable  and  substantial  of  all  property  it  alone 
should  form  the  base  for  our  circulating  medium.  Gold 
should  never  be  used  for  money;  because  when  it  wears 
out  the  people  who  issued  it  through  their  government 
will  lose  the  full  per  cent  of  the  wear;  it  costs  too 
much;  it  is  limited  in  quantity  and  the  government 
could  not  regulate  the  volume  of  currency  with  a 
limited  amcunt  of  material.  Silver  should  be  used  as 
money,  coined  in  sums  of  from  ten  cents  to  one  dollar; 
its  weight,  also  size,  regulated  for  convenience  without 
regard  to  cost  of  material;  if  it  is  worth  as  much  for 
bullion  as  for  money,  it  is  liable  to  be  used  by  indi 
viduals,  thus  taking  it  from  circulation,  to  the  injury 
o;  trade. 

"It  may  be  said  that  a  man  could  not  raise  money  on 
his  land  by  mortgaging  it  on  a  possessory  title,  but 
that  is  jUt;t  what  we  want  to  prevent.  The  mortgage 
system  has  been  one  of  the  prime  factors  in  building 
up  in  the  United  States  a  powerful  land  monopoly,  and 
the  law  embraced  in  these  propositions  is  intended  to 
dispense  with  the  cause  which  makes  borrowing  neces 
sary,  by  having  enough  money  in  circulation  to  permit 
the  doing  of  business  on  a  spot  cash  system  and  abol 
ish  all, laws  for  the  collection  of  debt,  except  for  labor 
performed.  That  there  are  wel,  defined  causes  for 
men  running  in  debt  is  apparent;  principal  among 
these  is  scarcity  of  money  and  scarcity  of  work.  Under 
the  system  proposed,  these  two  wants  are  overcome; 
by  limiting  money — not  to  the  chance  of  production  of 
gold,  but  to  the  amount  necessary  to  supply  every 
demand.  As  the  stock  representing  the  business  of  the 
country  will  soon  be  absorbed  by  the  savings  of  the 
people,  it  can  be  turned  into  money  whenever  a  strin 
gency  occurs;  and  as  government  will  be  compelled  to 


1 88  AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

give  every  idle  man  employment,  in  order  to  keep  the 
money  in  circulation  and  prevent  it  from  accumulating 
in  the  treasury  from  the  income  tax  and  the  twenty  per 
cent  returned  on  all  business  stock,  as  it  now  does  in 
the  great  money  centers  of  Britain  and  the  United 
States,  it  necessarily  follows  that  any  man  can  get 
work;  hence  there  will  be  no  occasion  for  borrowing. 

"There  never  has  been  nor  ever  will  be  a  time  when 
there  is  no  public  work  that  can  be  done  to  improve 
and  beautify  a  country,  and  now  that  machinery  has 
displaced  so  many  men,  they  should  be  given  work  at 
building  roads,  reservoirs,  and  canals,  reclaiming 
deserts,  draining  swamps,  terracing  mountains  and 
making  room  for  coming  population.  No  one  will 
question  that  the  system  proposed  in  these  articles  will 
so  flood  the  money  into  the  treasury  as  not  only  to 
remove  all  necessity  for  collecting  taxes,  but  that  the 
government  will  be  actually  compelled  to  carry  on 
extensive  wdrks  in  order  to  keep  its  money  in  circula 
tion.  Even  this  is  not  the  only  benefit  to  be  derived; 
our  financial  and  banking  system  will  be  so  simplified 
that  a  school  boy  can  understand  it.  There  will  be 
but  one  kind  of  money  and  the  business  of  the  sub- 
treasury  will  be  to  pay  out  money  for  stock,  and 
exchange  stock  for  money,  but  in  no  case  make  loans. 

"When  the  stock  shall  have  been  all  absorbed,  then 
deposits  may  be  received,  the  money  to  lay  in  the 
treasury  until  called  for.  In  a  short  time  the  average 
amount  of  money  laying  in  the  vaults  from  this  source, 
will  be  known  and  will  be  taken  into  consideration  in 
making  appropriations  for  public  works. 

"To  make  gold  the  base  of  all  money,  is  an  absurdity; 
because  its  value  must  fluctuate  according  to  chance  of 
production.  To  make  money  of  two  different  substances, 
gold  and  silver,  to  be  made  and  kept  at  the  same 
intrinsic  value,  is  simply  impossible;  because  the  value 
of  each  is  constantly  changing,  by  the  wear  of  the  coin, 
and  by  the  amount  of  production;  therefore  when  a 
public  man  advocates  giving  money  an  intrinsic  value, 
his  motive  should  be  closely  scrutinized. 

"With  no  law  for  the  collection  of  debt,  and  abstrari 


AN     IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  1 89 

titles  being  done  away  with,  the  business  in  these 
departments  of  law  will  be  largely  reduced. 

"I  will  now  say  one  word  about  inheritance  and 
accumulation  of  wealth.  If  we  would  protect  ourselves 
and  leave  a  heritage  for  posterity,  we  should  throw 
such  safeguards  around  our  government  as  will  prevent 
all  danger  of  its  being  in  the  future  obstructed  in  its 
work  by  a  power  greater  than  itself. 

The  right  of  governments  to  regulate  inheritance  has 
never  been  disputed  and  has  been  exercised  in  all 
civilized  countries;  it  therefore  only  becomes  a  ques 
tion  of  the  good  of  the  whole  people.  Let  us  honestly 
and  candidly  try  to  see  what  will  be  best  for  the  whole 
people. 

"A  good  way  to  prevent  theft,  we  believe,  would  be 
to  prevent  the  man  who  would  steal,  from  keeping, 
selling  or  controlling  the  goods  after  they  were  stolen; 
if  this  could  be  done,  theft  would  become  a  thing  of 
the  past.  If  we  can  prevent  individuals  from  keeping 
and  controlling  goods  above  a  competency,  then  the 
sharp  practice  by  which  unscrupulous  men  obtain 
possession  of  these  goods  would  not  come  in  play  and 
honest  men  would  avoid  the  danger  of  being  robbed  by 
some  money  making,  scheme  to  which  they  are  entire 
strangers.  That  there  should  be  a  limit  to  man's  con 
trol  of  property  is  plain.  Fire  in  a  wooden  house 
without  a  stove  or  other  safeguard  would  be  no  more 
destructive  to  the  goods  of  the  house  than  is  unlimited 
control  of  wealth  by  a  single  individual  to  the  good 
results  of  a  government.  That  the  possession  of  money 
or  property  above  your  need  is  power,  no  one  will 
deny,  and  in  bad  hands  becomes  an  enemy  to  society. 

"As  government  puts  all  its  surplus  into  public 
improvements  for  the  benefit  of  all,  its  accumulations 
are  limited.  Therefore  if  a  man  by  chicanery  and 
sharp  practice  that  evades  the  law,  succeeds  in  getting 
possession  of  a  large  amount  of  wealth,  that  no  more 
belongs  to  him  than  if  stolen,  it  will  roll  on  from  son 
to  son,  constantly  increasing  and  drawing  unto  itself, 
until  it  absorbs  every  interest,  turns  families  from  their 
homes  and  finally  becomes  stronger  than  government, 


IQO  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

controls  legislation  in  its  own  behalf,  making  good 
government  impossible. 

"Would  it  not  be  well  while  we  limit  our  own  accu 
mulation  as  a  whole  in  government,  that  we  give  that 
government  a  fair  chance  for  its  life  by  limiting  the 
holdings  of  individuals  to  their  need  also?  When 
property  is  fairly  distributed  the  people  will  take  care 
of  themselves,  but  when  property  is  concentrated  in 
the  hands  of  heartless  syndicates  and  corporations  it 
becomes  an  enemy  to  man  and  requires  armies  to 
defend  it.  As  it  is  universally  conceded  that  all  gov 
ernments  have  a  right  to  regulate  inheritance  it  becomes 
only  a  question  of  policy  on  the  part  of  the  govern 
ment  and  justice  to  every  citizen  of  that  government. 
Then  who  would  suffer  by  it?  Very  few,  if  any;  there 
are  very  few  men  we  must  remember,  who  inherit  over 
$100,000.  Did  any  of  you  gentlemen  ever  inherit  that 
amount?  Did  any  of  your  friends  ever?  If  so  they 
ceased  to  be  your  friend,  no  doubt,  soon  after.  The 
men  who  inherit  over  $100,000  are  very  few,  I  take  it, 
in  comparison  to  the  masses.  But  few  as  they  are, 
would  even  they  suffer?  $100,000  at  five  per  cent 
interest  gives  a  man  the  net  sum  of  $5,000  per  year. 
Suppose  a  man  could  hardly  make  a  living;  would  that 
small  sum  help  him  out  any?  But  suppose  he  was  a 
man  of  average  intelligence,  wc*uld  not  he  make 
$300,000  of  that  in  the  course  of  a  life  time?  Figure 
on  it  and  see  if  you  don't  think  you  could  support  a 
family  and  give  all  your  children  a  good  start  in  the 
world.  If  a  man  were  of  any  account  and  his  children 
a  fair  average  could  they  not  live  in  luxury? 

"True  they  would  not  have  ten,  fifteen  or  twenty 
thousand  dollars  to  bet  on  every  prize-fight  or  horse 
race,  nor  could  they  form  syndicates  and  control  legis 
lation,  but  they  would  be  the  prosperous  people  of  the 
land  and  in  point  of  intellect,  religion  and  good  morals 
they  would  be  far  superior  to  our  present  aristocracy 
and  far  more  numerous.  Then  how  can  you  make  it 
appear  that  these  men  suffer?  You  take  not  one  thing 
from  them,  you  only  deprive  them  ol  the  power  of 
getting  what  they  never  earned  and  does  not  belong  to 


N    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  igi 

them.  If  a  man  at  death  has  more  than  $100,000  for 
each  of  his  heirs  you  can  depend  upon  it  he  did  not 
get  it  by  any  fair  means;  it  has  been  drawn  from  the 
people  in  some  underhanded  way  and  should  be 
returned  to  them  through  the  government  and  so  pre 
vent  danger  of  further  accumulation.  Now  who  suffers 
and  who  is  wronged  by  this  law? 

"We  see  that  a  family  is  a  government  on  a  small 
scale.  The  Astor  family  have  adopted  this  same  sys 
tem  by  leaving  a  competency  to  the  majority  and  the 
bulk  of  the  property  to  one.  The  Vanderbilts  have 
followed  up  the  same  plan  and  so  did  J.  Gould;  they 
ha've  given  the  world  an  example  in  inheritance  worthy 
of  consideration.  England  gives  all  to  the  oldest  son. 

"Did  these  men  commit  a  wrong  toward  their  own 
children  by  putting  the  majority  off  with  a  competency? 
If  not  then  why  does  not  the  government  step  in  and 
say  these  heirs  shall  share  equally  and  the  residue  be 
inherited  by  the  government  which  has  protected  their 
property  and  made  it  possible  to  accumulate  so  large  a 
sum,  and  thus  say  to  the  magnate,  the  remainder  of 
your  vast  property  shall  go  back  among  the  people 
from  whom  it  has  been  drawn  by  extortion  and  sharp 
practice.  Would  such  a  law  as  this  be  good  for  the 
whole  people?  If  so  it  is  what  our  government  by  the 
people  and  for  the  people,  implies. 

"These  truths  seem  to  me  to  be  self  evident,  that 
when  a  people  organize  themselves  into  a  government 
and  limit  the  power  to  accumulate  wealth,  and  at  the 
same  time  allow  individuals  and  corporations  to 
increase  their  holdings  without  check  or  limit,  the 
result  must  surely  follow  that  individual  and  corporate 
power  will  eventually  predominate  and  the  people  and 
government  be  reduced  to  poverty  and  want. 

"No  long  hours  and  hard  work  can  fill  their  larder 
when  one-third  of  the  people  are  employed  by  syndi 
cates  and  bankers  in  collecting  rents  and  interest,  the 
other  one-third  in  protecting  their  vast  estates  and  the 
government  poverty-stricken,  in  debt  and  become  a 
willing  tool  of  oppression;  we  have  history  in  the 
United  States  proving  these  mnrlnsions  not  only  to  b§ 


192  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

logical,  but  true  principles  of  philosophy,  as  unerring 
as  the  needle  to  the  Mariner. 

"Our  system  of  doing  all  the  heavy  business  of  the 
country  by  stock  companies  has  been  so  thoroughly 
tried  in  the  United  States  and  other  countries,  that 
there  remains  no  doubt  of  its  efficacy;  but  the  control 
of  the  companies  by  government,  when  the  stock  is  in 
the  hands  of  banks  and  syndicates,  has  been  an  abso 
lute  failure;  they  over-run  all  law. 

"By  the  proposed  method  the  company  is  entirely 
under  control  of  the  government  and  the  stock  will  be 
among  the  people;  every  working  girl  can  invest  her 
small  earnings  in  stock  and  it  will  form  a  sort  of  float 
ing  paper,  representing  every  large  interest  in  the 
whole  country  and  its  good  effects  in  absorbing  the 
savings  of  the  country  can  hardly  be  estimated;  while 
the  mild  working  of  the  inheritance  law  will  prevent 
its  being  centralized, 

"The  next  thing  in  out  propositions  is  an  article 
prohibiting  the  formation  of  political  parties;  of  course 
it  will  be  left  to  the  law  to  define  what  political  parties 
are.  What  we  wish  to  prevent  is  a  consolidated 
organization,  with  its  representatives  in  every  town, 
county  and  precinct,  who  work  for  the  party  for  pay 
and  promise  of  spoils,  with  newspapers  to  slander, 
falsify  and  misrepresent,  in  order  to  keep  up  animosity 
among  neighbors  and  control  the  party  vote.  The 
principal  agitators  in  these  elections  are  generally  well 
paid  and  backed  up  by  concentrated  party  wealth  which 
is  being  constantly  augmented  by  bribe  money  and  tax 
levied  upon  those  in  office. 

"How  often  have  we  seen  men,  and  even  whole  com 
munities,  worked  into  fever  heat  of  passion,  ready  to 
cut  each  other's  throat,  and  all  over  a  political  sham 
battle  between  parties.  One  day  after  the  election  all 
would  be  as  quiet  as  a  May  morning.  I  find  no 
language  to  express  my  contempt  for  this  abominable 
system.  It  ought  to  be  abolished. 

"Under  this  order  of  things  a  method  of  selecting 
proper  persons  for  office  would  certainly  be  necessary; 


AN     IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  1 93 

but  It  seems  to  me  that  the  good  sense  of  the  people, 
if  not  deceived  by  party  falsehood,  or  controlled  by 
party  discipline,  would  be  equal  to  the  emergency;  and 
it  would  also  appear  that  under  our  new  business 
system,  money  ^"and  property  would  be  so  well  dis 
tributed,  newspapers  become  so  numerous,  and  circu 
lation  of  news  so  very  cheap,  with  government  control 
and  unlimited  capital,  that  a  knowledge  of  our  leading 
men  would  be  as  common  as  that  of  our  next  door 
neighbor.  We  believe  that  any  man  should  have  the 
privilege  of  bringing  his  name  or  that  of  a  friend 
before  the  people,  for  any  office,  by  simply  publishing 
a  card,  and  if  conventions  are  held  for  nominating 
candidates  they  should  be  called  from  the  people,  no 
permanent  organization  maintained. 

"When  a  man  seeks  an  office  on  the  strength  of 
party  service  or  of  having  belonged  to  some  party  for 
forty  years,  it  too  often  happens  that  he  has  no  other 
merit.  While  I  regard  this  plan  as  something  of  an 
experiment,  I  believe  that  permanent  parties  can  and 
should  be  abolished. 

"We  come  now  to  the  sub-treasury  taking  the  place 
ot  the  national  bank.  We  have  many  very  good  reasons 
for  making  this  change.  In  looking  over  the  financial 
history  of  England  and  the  United  States,  we  find  that 
the  gold  gamblers  have  many  different  methods  of 
plying  their  gold  game  and  this  national  banking  sys 
tem  is  the  hub  of  the  great  wheel  that  rolls  on  to  the 
tune  of  the  'gamblers  win  and  the  gentlemen  lose,'  and 
as  we  are  to  do  away  with  the  game,  we  will  not  need 
the  wheel.  We  find  that  for  honest  business  purposes 
the  treasury  answers  every  purpose;  beside,  it  will  give 
employment  to  a  few  men  and  thus  help  to  keep  the 
money,  which  will  be  so  constantly  flowing  into  the 
treasury  from  the  income  tax  and  two  per  cent  on 
government  business  stock,  in  circulation.  It  is 
invested  with  every  power  that  a  bank  could  have, 
except  to  break*  and  rob  the  depositors;  of  course  it 
will  be  a  failure  on  that  point,  but  we  should  be  willing 
to  forego  some  of  these  blessings  in  order  to  expel 


194  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

from  the  land  these  two  great  political  or  financial 
ghosts  known  in  the  United  States  as  want  of  confi 
dence  and  over-production. 

"For  some  years  these  monsters  have  run  rampant 
in  the  United  States,  carried  every  election,  impover 
ished  the  people,  robbed  families  of  their  homes  and 
made  countless  millions  mourn. 

"While  we  find  great  warehouses  bursting  with  grain, 
others  with  manufactured  goods,  the  people  cry  out  for 
bread  and  clothes,  but  the  cruel  specter,  over-produc 
tion,  says  no.  Then  the  people  cry  for  money  or  for 
work  and  the  other  ghost  looms  up  and  says,  your 
money  is  all  buried;  'tis  want  of  confidence.  <O  con 
sistency  thou  art  a  jewel.' 

"One  other  thing  I  will  call  your  attention  to,  then  I 
am  done;  that  is  the  detective  sysfem;  it  too  has  been 
tried  in  the  United  States  where  it  has  been  demon 
strated  to  be  a  wonderful  power  for  good  but  it,  like 
the  corporations  has  also  demonstrated  that  such  power 
should  be  in  the  hands  of  government,  not  individuals. 

"I  shall  now  leave  the  matter  with  you,  believing  the 
good  sense  of  those  interested  will  vote  down  the 
proposition  to  table  these  articles." 

As  no  one  seemed  inclined  to  discuss  the  matter 
further,  it  came  to  a  vote  and  strange  to  say,  with  the 
exception  of  Lincoln  and  Jefferson,  the  whites  were 
unanimously  in  favor  of  tabling  the  propositions  and 
adopting  the  constitution  of  the  United  States,  pure 
and  simple,  but  the  natives  voted  solid  the  other  way, 
which  defeated  the  motion. 

A  motion  was  made  and  carried  to  adjourn  till  next 
day;  this  motion  was  made  by  Coy  in  order  that  the 
gold  men  might  work  up  some  new  scheme  to  defeat 
the  propositions. 

After  the  adjournment,  Saunders,  Coy  and  Baxter 
retired  to  their  tent  which  they  had  isolated  from  the 
others  as  men  who  seek  to  control  and  enslave  others 
by  the  use  of  gold,  generally  do.  Saunders  was  first  to 
break  the  silence.  "Gentlemen,"  said  he, "is  that  not 
enough  to  break  a  man  all  up?  If  I  believed  in  a  God 
I  would  think  He  was  at  work  among  these  black 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  IQ5 

devils;   only  think  of  it,  they  understood  not  one  word 
still  they  voted  solid." 

"I  wish  I  had  the  powers  of  hell  for  a  little  while," 
said  Coy,  "I  would  teach  the  black  devils  some  sense; 
but  'tis  no  use,  we  have  to  work  according  to  our 
strength.  It  looks  pretty  hard  to  risk  life  and  liberty 
for  a  little  gold  and  then  when  you  get  into  a  safe 
place,  beyond  all  danger  and  reach  of  law,  with  the 
finest  chance  in  the  world  to  become  a  millionaire,  to 
have  your  plans  all  thwarted  by  an  old  Kansas  calam 
ity-howler,  especially  when  he  has  all  the  white  men 
on  his  own  side.  I  am  not  going  to  stand  it  without 
a  fight;  I  would  like  to  have  a  shot  at  that  old  crank 
with  my  Winchester;  I  think  the  talk  about  paper 
money  would  soon  be  settled." 

"Well,  I'll  tell  you,"  said  Saunders,  "I  don't  care 
how  much  paper  money  they  have;  in  fact  I  rather 
like  the  plan,  but  we  must  have  it  based  on  gold. " 

"If  they  would  only  do  with  us,"  said  Coy,  "as  the 
United  States  government  did  with  Stanford,  Hunting- 
ton  &  Co.,  give  us,  for  instance,  half  of  the  land  on  a 
strip  of  eighty  miles  wide  clear  across  the  continent, 
then  guarantee  bonds  enough  to  build  the  road;  as  soon 
as  this  government  is  formed  and  a  great  continent 
like  this  thrown  open  to  the  world,  we  coukl  get  money 
on  the  bonds.  This  would  work  fine.  I  know  just 
how  Stanford  and  Huntington  worked  it  and  they 
came  out  millionaires,  and  Uncle  Sam  got  left." 

"Yes,"  said  Saunders,  "that  would  be  pretty  good, 
but  what  we  want  is  a  National  Bank.  You  see  if  we 
get  the  bank  we  will  have  money  to  work  the  govern 
ment  with,  and  we  can  soon  secure  legislation  and  get 
hold  of  all  kinds  of  securities,  sell  them  in  London, 
and  if  we  don't  beat  the  record  of  such  men  as  ^Stan- 
ford,  Huntington,  Gould,  and  in  fact  all  the  million 
aires  of  the  United  States  with  our  $200,000,  then  we 
are  no  good.  I  think  we  are  perfectly  safe  in  loaning 
the  government  our  paper  to  the  extent  of  $600,000 
and  more,  if  they  want  it,  all  at  a  good  round  interest; 
after  that  it  won't  take  long  to  get  a  Banking  act 
passed  and  deposit  our  bonds  and  loan  another  lot  of 


AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

paper  money;  then  we  can  lend  our  paper  money  to 
the  government,  loan  the  government  money  to  the 
people,  and  after  a  while  we  will  lose  confidence  and 
have  them  pass  a  Strengthening  act  paying  the  bonds 
all  in  gold.  But  then  it  is  no  use  to  speculate  until 
the  bloody  plan  this  man  has  drawn  up  has  been 
knocked  out.  If  it  goes  we  will  have  to  sell  our  gold 
or  have  it  shipped  back  to  the  states  for  goods,  when 
it  would  probably  furnish  some  fly  detective  a  very 
nice  clue — no,  we  must  silence  this  fanatic." 

Then  they  discussed  the  plan  of  assassination  but  it 
was  objected  to  on  the  ground  of  danger  from  the 
vengeance  of  the  president,  and  to  assassinate  the  two 
would  raise  the  natives  and  they  would  all  be  killed. 
It  had  been  reported  that  Gen.  Summerville  was  on  his 
way  back  and  would  arrive  next  day;  he  was  an  entire 
stranger  to  the  whole  party,  but  they  resolved  to  see 
him  before  he  met  Bundy,  Lincoln  and  Jefferson  and 
get  him  interested  in  a  National  banking  scheme  and 
thereby  secure  his  influence  in  opposition  to  what  they 
denounced  as  fanaticism. 

After  supper  they  all  went  up  town  and  there  learned 
that  Gen.  Summerville  was  encamped  within  seven 
miles  of  town  and  would  come  on  the  next  morning. 
They  decided  to  meet  him  in  camp  and  accordingly 
ordered  their  animals  saddled  and  rode  out,  reaching 
the  camp  before  night.  Gen.  Summervlile  received 
them  with  great  warmth;  it  had  been  along  time  since 
he  had  seen  a  white  man  and  he  felt  sincerely  glad  to 
see  them,  and  felt  complimented  at  receiving  so  much 
courtesy. 

After  a  general  round  of  conversation,  Mr.  Saunders 
informed  the  General  of  what  had  been  done  in  the 
convention  and  great  as  was  the  opportunity  of  accom 
plishing  so  much,  it  seemed  about  to  be  lost  by  the 
obstinacy  of  a  political  crank.  He  further  informed 
the  General  that  he  and  his  companions  represented 
great  wealth;  that  they  were  bankers  and  had  brought 
with  them  an  immense  sum  of  gold  coin  for  the  express 
purpose  of  supplying  the  new.  government  with  the 
sinews  of  war.  "Unless  the  Republic  is  organized  on 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

true  and  tried  principles, "  said  he,  "our  assistance  will 
be  lost;  unless  we  have  confidence,  we  can  not  let 
money  loose.  We  are  ready  to  assist  the  enterprise  by 
furnishing  all  the  money  that  will  be  needed,  but  we 
must  have  confidence,  and  the  only  way  the  movers  in 
this  enterprise"  can  gain  our  confidence  is  to  plant 
their  government  on  true  principles  of  law — the  bank 
ing  law  of  the  United  States  or  that  of  Britain,  has 
been  tried  and  proved.  If  that  system  is  adopted  we 
can  furnish  all  the  money  necessary  but  all  notes, 
bonds  and  obligations  must  be  made  payable  in  gold 
and  whenever  a  constitution  like  that  of  the  United 
States  is  adopted,  banking  laws  passed  and  a  warranted 
title  to  land  property,  then  we  stand  ready  to  furnish 
this  government  with  our  bank  notes,  redeemable  on 
sight,  to  the  extent  of  $600,000  at  7  per  cent,  and  we 
will  keep  $200,000  in  gold  constantly  on  hand  for  the 
redemption  of  these  notes;  there  will  be  no  trouble 
about  money  if  we  only  have  confidence. 

"Another  thing,  if  we  give  good  titles  to  land  and 
have  an  approved  banking  system  it  will  induce 
emigration  and  create  such  confidence  among  the  money 
kings  of  England,  that  they  will  have  a  money-loan 
office  in  every  town  and  village;  of  course  we  will  have 
good  times,  but  we  must  have  confidence.  In  addition 
to  all  this,  as  soon  as  we  are  organized  and  an  act 
passed  granting  us  lands  and  guaranteeing  bonds  we 
build  a  railroad  from  the  great  river  to  the  lake  and 
create  a  regular  boom;  we  can  give  a  mortgage  on  the 
land  for  money  in  England  and  exchange  the  bonds  in 
the  same  way;  thus  build  the  road  and  let  the  sale  of 
the  land  pay  the  debt.  This  is  no  idle  dream;  it  is  a 
style  of  doing  business  invented  in  the  United  States 
and  you  know  how  it  worked.  Look  at  the  Goulds, 
the  Variderbilts,  Astors,  Stanford,  Crocker  and  a  host 
of  other  millionaires  made  by  these  and  other  similar 
methods,  and  the  people  there  know  all  about  it,  still 
they  seem  to  stand  it  all  right  and  of  course  it  will 
work  here  in  the  same  way,  under  the  same  law." 

The  general  received  their  communication  in  a 
friendly  manner  and  said  he  had  not  given  the  matter 


ig8  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

much  thought,  not  knowing  the  circumstances,  but  he 
would  certainty  do  everything  in  his  power  to  have  the 
government  planted  on  true  principles  of  justice,  as  he 
understood  them. 

Mr.  Saunders  then  stated  that  they  had  been  to  a 
good  deal  of  expense,  risk  and  trouble,  to  bring  money 
there  for  the  benefit  of  humanity,  and  in  order  to 
prevent  anything  like  failure,  they  had  all  agreed,  in 
order  to  secure  his  services  in  getting  a  constitution 
and  laws  passed,  similar  to  those  of  the  United  States, 
they  would  give  him  $20,000  in  gold,  either  English 
or  American  coin,  the  same  to  be  paid  over  as  soon  as 
the  proper  legislation  was  secured. 

To  this  the  General  only  replied,  "well,  the  fee  looks 
to  me  rather  large  for  a  man  who  has  no  profession." 

"True,"  said  Coy,  "but  it  has  been  claimed  that  a 
man  received  $500,000  for  the  demonetization  of  silver 
in  the  United  States,  and  that  he  did  the  whole  thing 
by  a  trick. " 

The  conversation  then  turned  on  other  topics  and 
the  gold  men  took  their  leave. 

It  was  long  after  night  when  the  men  reached  their 
tent  and  they  were  not  feeling  over-sanguine  of  success; 
the  General  had  received  all  their  propositions  kindly 
but  had  in  no  way  committed  himself;  they  admitted 
his  coolness  and  felt  confident  his  influence  would 
settle  it  either  way,  but  they  were  not  sure  as  to  what 
course  he  would  pursue;  all  felt  shaky,  but  Saunders 
said  that  $20,000  would  buy  men  of  wealth  in  the 
American  legislative  halls  and  he  saw  no  good  reason 
why  a  poor  devil  like  this,  out  here  in  the  wilds  of 
Africa,  should  refuse  such  a  tempting  bait  and  he  didn't 
believe  he  would. 

The  following  morning,  the  General  rode  into  town 
just  in  time  to  meet  Mr.  Bundy,  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mr. 
Jefferson  on  their  way  to  the  hall,  and  alighting,  the 
greeting  was  cordial  all  round. 

The  General  informed  Mr.  Bundy  that  a  pack-train 
was  on  the  way  with  over  $3,000,000  in  gold,  the  out 
put  of  the  mines  for  the  last  three  months. 

"The    native    workers    in  the  mines,"  said  he,  "are 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  1 99 

steadily  increasing  in  numbers  and  the  output  as  well. 
A  large  proportion  of  those  who  come  have  families 
and  are  making  themselves  comfortable  homes,  the 
mines  are  equaling  those  of  California  in  '49.  The 
coast  trail  to  Mr.-  .Brown's  is  alive  with  pack-trains, 
arrangements  for  a  better  means  of  transportation  will 
soon  be  necessary  and  I  have  come  down  to  look  after 
this  matter." 

Pres.  Bundy  and  his  companions  were  highly  elated 
at  all  this  good  news  and  also  congratulated  themselves 
that  the  General  had  arrived  just  in  time  to  vote  upon 
the  adoption  of  the  proposed  plan  of  organization. 

Mr.  Jefferson  handed  him  the  document  and  asked 
him  to  go  with  him  to  his  room  where  they  would  not 
be  disturbed;  they  would  postpone  voting  on  it  until 
he  could  be  present,  as  they  regarded  his  advice  and 
co-operation  of  the  utmost  importance.  The  General 
took  the  document  and  promised  to  be  on  hand  but 
disclaimed  being  entitled  to  any  such  compliment. 

In  consequence  of  the  arrival  they  postponed  coming 
to  order  for  two  hours.  Mr.  Jefferson,  before  this, 
felt  quite  certain  of  the  adoption  of  his  proposition, 
but  what  stand  the  General  would  take  was  as  much  of 
a  sealed  book  to  him  and  his  colleagues  as  it  was  to 
the  other  side  of  the  house.  The  proposition  embraced 
new  ideas  that  had  not  been  thought  of,  much  less  dis 
cussed,  and  feeling  that  each  and  all  was  of  the  utmost 
importance,  they  were  all  filled  with  anxiety;  each  felt, 
too,  that  it  would  be  dishonorable  to  try  to  influence 
the  General  outside  of  the  convention  before  the  other 
side  was  heard. 

In  this  may  be  seen  one  of  the  grand  causes  of 
reform  coming  so  slowly  to  the  front.  Reforms,  it  may 
be  remembered,  work  always  for  the  good  of  all,  and 
when  man  becomes  an  earnest  worker  in  reform  he 
rises  so  high  above  the  selfish  plane  that  he  would 
disdain  to  use  methods  to  carry  a  point  which  a  selfish 
gold-pirate  would  embrace  and  consider  it  a  mark  of 
statesmanship  or  splendid  financiering. 

Soon  after  the  convention  came  to  order,  the  General 
put  in  an  appearance.  After  this  the  ball  was  opened 


20O  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

by  Mr.  Jefferson  with  a  motion  that  the  proposition  be 
adopted;  this  was  seconded  by  a  native  king,  anxious 
to  show  his  legislative  ability. 

It  was  declared  to  be  before  the  house  as  follows: 
Gentlemen  of  the  convention,  you  have  heard  the 
propositions;  to  say  they  are  of  the  highest  importance 
would,  in  my  estimation,  be  too  tame.  I  would  say  to 
you,  my  fellow  members,  that  in  voting  upon  them  you 
are  called  upon  to  settle  one  of  the  most  important 
questions  that  have  ever  been  decided  by  a  body  of  men. 

It  is  not  only  a  question  that  will  decide  the  fate  of 
millions  who  will  flee  from  the  tyrannizing,  plutocratic 
rule  of  corruption  and  injustice  in  the  United  States 
and  other  countries,  and  seek  homes  in  this  great 
continent;  but  'tis  the  adoption  of  a  system  of  govern 
ment  that  will  in  due  time  spread  throughout  the  civil 
ized  world,  crush  the  power  of  gold  and  bring  joy  and 
comfort  to  all  mankind. 

We  have  seen  that  the  United  States,  like  this  coun 
try,  belonged  at  one  time  to  the  people;  the  labor  of 
those  people  made  it  vastly  more  valuable  to  man. 
But  to-day  they  do  not  own  it;  you  all  know  who  does, 
but  you  don't  know  exactly  how  they  got  it;  it  is  evi 
dent,  however,  that  they  gave  nothing  in  return,  for 
many  of  them  had  nothing  to  give.  We  all  know  that 
gold,  the  National  Bank  and  speculation  in  land  have 
been  the  prime  factors  in  robbing  the  people  of  the 
United  States,  building  up  a  class  of  aristocrats  and 
wrecking  the  great  Republic. 

The  same  people,  with  their  families,  will  rush  into 
this  country  in  solid  phalanx  in  search  of  homes;  with 
their  presence  and  labor  they  will  make  it  a  vast 
empire  of  wealth.  Shall  they  in  one  hundred  years 
find  the  lands  which  they  have  improved  belonging  to 
unscrupulous  bankers  or  money-sharks?  Or  shall  the 
property  of  the  country  forever  remain  in  the  hands  of 
the  people  who  created  it?  These  are  the  questions 
you  are  called  upon  to  decide;  they  are  now  before  you. 

As  the  President  took  his  seat,  Mr.  Saunders  took 
the  floor  and  stated  that  the  matter  had  been  pretty 
thoroughly  discussed  but  lie  would  like  very  much  to 


AN     IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  2OI 

hear  from  Gen.  Summerville  upon  the  subject.  This 
proposition  was  received  with  general  applause,  and 
when  the  General  came  forward  his  reception  was 
something  grand. 

Before  commerlTcing,  the  General  cast  an  interested 
look  about  the  hall.  As  he  stood  there,  a  picture  of 
robust  health,  perhaps  his  fine  figure  never  showed  to 
better  advantage.  As  the  importance  of  his  decision 
was  plainly  marked  on  every  face,  so  his  form  and 
features  showed  that  he  felt  himself  fully  equal  for  the 
occasion,  and  he  spoke  as  follows: 

"Mr.  President  and  gentlemen  ot  the  convention— 
Oft  times  while  camping  in  the  forests  of  this  vast, 
wild  region,  far  away  from  the  comforts  oi  civilized 
life,  living  on  wild  meat  and  such  vegetable  food  as 
could  be  gathered,  sleeping  on  the  ground,  facing  every 
storm  and  battling  with  the  deadly  Arabs  to  protect  the 
lives  of  these  good  people;  yes,  often  amid  these  trials 
have  I  felt  that  my  fate  was  hard,  but  it  pales  into 
insignificance  in  comparison  with  what  I  now  enjoy,  in 
having  an  opportunity  of  voting  for  the  adoption  of  a 
system  of  government  that  is  to  hold  all  the  millions 
of  miles  of  rich  farming  land  throughout  this  vast  con 
tinent  in  reserve  for  the  sole  use  of  man  and  beyond 
the  reach  of  cruel  land-sharks.  A  government  that 
will  fence  by  its  laws  against  the  encroachments  of  the 
money-power.  A  government  that  will  build  our  rail 
roads,  run  them  and  leave  the  money  among  the 
people.  Gentlemen,  vote  as  you  will,  it  will  be  the 
proudest  moment  of  my  life  when  I  cast  my  vote  for 
this  proposition." 

This  was  too  much  for  Mr.  Jefferson,  Lincoln  and 
Bundy;  they  left  their  seats  and  in  turn  clasped  the 
hand  of  the  speaker.  The  Missionaries  followed,  and 
for  a  time  the  house  was  in  a  tumult  of  joy;  the 
enthusiasm  was  so  great  that  even  the  gold-gamblers 
were  forced  to  come  forward  and  acknowledge  their 
deteat.  After  the  feeling  had  partially  subsided,  the 
house  once  more  came  to  order  and  a  vote  was  taken 
in  which  all  voted  for  adoption,  except  the  three  gold 
men,  and  tb^7  ^f^amed  from  voting. 


2O2  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

The  proposition  being  disposed  of,  the  General 
offered  the  following,  which  he  reduced  to  writing: 

That  Secretary  Lincoln  be  sent  to  New  York  and 
instructed  to  buy  one  first-class  battle-ship  to  be  used 
on  the  great  river.  The  same  to  be  furnished  with  a 
full  crew  for  the  year's  service. 

That  he  also  order  the  building  of  one  battle-ship 
and  four  cruisers,  also  buy  six  large  size  ocean  steam 
ers,  man  them  and  load  with  material  and  machinery 
for  the  construction  of  railroads,  and  offer  such  induce 
ments  for  immigration  as  would  load  all  the  steamers 
with  as  many  as  they  could  easily  and  comfortably 
carry,  in  addition  to  freight. 

That  he  also  establish  an  emigrant  aid  society  in 
Chicago,  St.  Louis  and  Kansas  City  for  the  purpose  of 
assisting  poor  but  respectable  families  to  reach  New 
York  in  time  to  meet  our  steamers  as  they  are  kept 
regularly  running;  the  fare  to  be  $100  each,  but  to 
bring  them  at  reduced  rates  when  they  are  too  poor  to 
pay  that  amount. 

That  he  bring  four  river  steamers  to  be  used  on  the 
great  river,  the  fleet  to  land  as  soon  as  possible,  at 
some  point  on  the  shore  of  the  great  river  near  the  ter 
minus  of  the  proposed  railroad. 

The  motion  being  seconded,  Mr.  Saunders  took  the 
floor  and  said  that  the  motion  sounded  like  a  burlesque. 
It  would  be  impossible  to  buy  these  things  without 
money  and  he  knew  of  but  one  way  for  government  to 
get  money  and  that  Was  to  issue  bonds  and  sell  them 
to  the  people  who  had  money;  when  it  became  known 
the  kind  of  government  to  be  formed,  the  bond  would 
not  sell  for  enough  to  pay  for  the  printing. 

This  brought  things  to  a  stand  still. 

The  General  walked  over  to  the  President,  talked  in 
a  low  tone  for  a  moment;  then  IV  .r.  Lincoln  wis  called 
and  consulted,  after  which  the  General  again  took  the 
floor  and  said: 

"It  now  becomes  necessary  that  I  explain  that  the 
want  of  money  will  be  no  obstacle  in  the  way  of  carry 
ing  out  the  provisions  of  this  proposition.  If  this 
country  was  full  of  money,  it  would  not  be  good  in  a 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  20$ 

foreign  country;  even  if  our  money  were  made  of  gold, 
it  would  have  to  be  sold  by  weight  as  a  commodity; 
our  stamp  would  add  nothing  to  its  value.  It  simply 
becomes  a  question  as  to  whether  we  have  anything  to 
ship  that  is  ready  sale;  fortunately  we  li.ive  about 
$15,000,000  of  gold.  It  is  of  no  earthly  value  to  us 
and  the  sooner  we  exchange  it  for  something  that  is, 
the  better  it  will  be." 

This  was  a  stunner,  but  the  motion  soon  passed  and 
the  meeting  adjourned  till  the  following  day. 

After  adjournment  it  was  evident  that  the  presence 
of  so  much  gold  had  thrown  the  white  men  into  a  per 
fect  frenzy  of  excitement;  the  President,  Secretary, 
General  and  Mr.  Jefferson  had  retired  to  their  quarters. 
The  remainder  of  the  white  population  gathered  around 
their  usual  loafing  places  and  the  whole  talk  was  about 
that  gold. 

The  world  probably  never  had  a  better  illustration  of 
the  force  of  early  education. 

The  child  who  is  raised  to  believe  in  Mohammed 
will  have  no  other  religion;  if  raised  a  Jew,  he  will 
forever  be  a  Jew;  if  Catholicism  is  taught  him,  the 
man  or  woman  will  confess  their  sins  to  a  priest  and 
rest  upon  his  power  to  save;  and  since  all  civilized 
nations  have  kept  gold  stored  in  vaults  for  ages,  stood 
outside  themselves  and  implored  its  possessor  for  bread, 
for  work  arid  for  money.  Nations  have  crumbled  and 
gone  to  decay;  we  have  also  observed  the  property  of 
a  great  country  like  the  United  States,  with  its  repub 
lican  form  of  government,  vast  mining  resources,  and 
great  agricultural  and  manufacturing  industries  in  the 
hands  of  the  masses,  drift  into  the  hands  of  a  few 
in  the  short  space  of  twenty  years,  all  done  through  the 
power  of  gold.  Is  it  to  be  wondered  that  people  fall 
down  and  worship  the  power  no  man  can  stay? 

I  say  a  power  that  no  man  can  stay,  for  it  is  true.  If 
Baron  Rothschild  would  to-morrow  order  his  holdings 
all  collected  into  money  and  returned  to  those  he  has 
robbed,  through  that  deadly  law  called  interest,  they 
would  have  him  either  killed  or  in  a  mad-house  inside 


2O4  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

of  forty-eight  hours,  and  the  laws  of  usury  would   roll 
right  along,  crushing  millions. 

The  power  of  gold  is  mysterious.  You  might  as  well 
try  to  comprehend  the  mystical  power  ol  the  Veiled 
Prophet,  or  the  Chinese  Joss,  as  to  try  to  fathom  the 
depths  of  the  power  of  gold. 

Both  are  kept  hidden  from  mortal  sight;  the  former 
behind  the  veil,  but  gold  in  vaults  or  behind  screens 
and  thus  it  becomes  an  imaginary  God  at  whose  shrine 
whole  nations  fall  down  and  worship.  He  who  gets  it 
within  his  vaults  or  can  make  people  believe  he  has, 
is  clothed  with  a  power  that  ancient  devils  would  have 
been  proud  of.  Such  are  clothed  with  purple  robes 
and  fine  linen  and  stand  like  a  wall  of  fire  between 
nature  and  nature's  God.  Thus  the  miser  puts  fetters 
upon  intellect,  tramples  reason  beneath  his  feet  and 
will  clog  the  wheels  of  progress  until  evolution  destroys 
the  idol;  then  man  will  step  out  upon  a  higher  plane 
of  civilization  and  reason  be  our  guide. 

Saunders  approached  the  boy  interpreter  and  asked 
if  he  knew  anything  about  the  gold. 

"Yes  sah,"  said  the  boy,  "it  is  all  piled  up  in,  an  old 
house  up  at  the  village." 

"What!"  said  Saunders,  "piled  up  in  an  old  house? 
People  must  be  very  honest  around  here. " 

"Why?"  said  the  boy. 

"Because  gold  is  rather  valuable  to  be  laying  around. " 

"What  is  it  good  for?"  said  the  boy. 

"Good  for!"  said  Saunders,  why  'tis  good  for  money. " 

"But,"  said  the  boy,  "suppose  you  don't  use  it 
for  money,  then  what  is  it  good  for?" 

This  was  a  hard  question  and  Saunders  changed  the 
subject  by  asking  if  they  could  see  it. 

"Ob  course,"  said  the  boy,  "you  can  all  see  it  for 
what  I  know."  So  it  was  not  long  till  every  man  had 
his  pony  saddled  and -were  off  for  the  village,  the  boy 
in  the  lead.  When  they  reached  their  destination,  the 
King  met  them  in  front  of  his  house  and  on  learning 
the  object  of  their  visit,  with  a  good  deal  of  surprise, 
led  them  out  back  of  his  residence  where  stood  an  old 
hnneo  with  one  room  and  a  few  poles  leaned  across  the 


AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC  2O5 

door- way  to  keep  the  goats  out;  removing  these  they 
stepped  inside  and  found  the  place  piled  full  of*  boxes 
that  had  been  especially  designed  for  packing  on 
burros.  The  King  took  down  one  of  the  top  boxes 
and  with  a  screwdriver  soon  succeeded  in  taking  off 
the  cover — sure  enough!  there  lay  the  glittering  metal, 
two  bars,  seventy-five  pounds  each. 

The  whites  gazed  upon  them  in  amazement.  They 
asked  if  there  was  gold  in  all  the  boxes;  on  being 
answerd  in  the  affirmative,  they  lifted  several  to  satisfy 
themselves  that  they  were  not  dreaming  and  the  King 
was  finally  forced  to  open  several  boxes  before  they 
could  believe,  and  when  they  went  away  all  agreed  they 
had  never  before  seen  gold  piled  up  like  sacks  of  wheat. 
There  seemed  to  be  a  prevailing  opinion  that  there 
should  be  a  vault  dug  in  the  solid  earth  to  store  it  in, 
and  a  company  of  soldiers  kept  constantly  on  guard. 

To  see  their  idol  brought  down  to  a  level  with  tur 
nips,  cabbage  and  potatoes,  was  too  much.  It  looked 
to  them  like  sacrilege  and  no  doubt  if  they  could,  they 
would  have  tried  the  men  who  caused  it,  for  heresy. 

That  night  Saunders,  Coy  and  Baxter  had  a  little 
caucus  of  their  own,  and  after  discussing  the  situation 
thoroughly,  they  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  mines 
must  be  immensely  rich  and  the  way  to  manage  would 
be  to  stand  right  in  with  the  fanatics. 

Said  Saunders,  "they  are  nothing  but  fanatics,  unless 
they  are  playing  a  nice  game  to  get  the  gold  out  of  the 
country,  but  I  don't  believe  that,  for  the  natives  do 
not  know  the  value  of  gold,  and  they  could  have  had 
it  all  out  of  the  country  long  before  this,  and  been 
independent,  but  no;  they  are  regular  fanatics  and  they 
think  they  will  do  something  wonderful. 

"They  want  to  fix  it  so  there  will  be  no  poor,  but  if 
they  read  history  they  will  find  there  has  never  been  a 
time  when  there  were  not  both  rich  and  poor,  and  of 
course  there  never  will  be.  You  might  divide  the 
property  and  gold  equally  to-day  and  one  week  from 
to-day  it  would  be  in  the  hands  of  a  few.  There  are 
many  people  who  only  care  for  a  good  living  and 


2O6  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

leisure  »for  enjoyment,  and  of  course  the  more  enter- 
prising  will  make  the  money. 

"Look  at  the  United  States.  There  nature  placed  in 
the  hands  of  the  people  a  vast  continent;  they  held  it 
about  ninety  years  and  then  the  bankers  got  in  their 
work  on  the  greenback  and  have  been  concentrating 
the  wealth  of  the  country  ever  since,  until  to-day  one- 
half  of  the  people  are  little  better  than  paupers,  and 
millionaires  come  into  existence  like  mushrooms.  The 
people  have  done  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  work 
only  to  find  that  while  they  were  working  others  had 
been  legislating,  and  the  job  had  been  so  well  done 
that  the  men  who  opened  farms  and  built  houses  did 
not  own  them, 'but  they  now  belong  to  the  men  in 
Wall  and  Lombard  streets,  who  sit  at  their  desks  and 
make  gold  do  their  work.  This  shows  the  power  there 
is  in  gold,  and  if  these  men  think  they  can  break  this 
power  they  are  wrong.  Christ  tried  that  and  failed, 
for  to-day  most  Christians  worship  gold  six  days  and 
God  only  one. 

"When  immigration  comes  into  the  country  the  very 
men  they  are  trying  to  help  and  protect  will  go  right 
to  work  and  organize  parties  with  such  names  as  they 
have  been  used  to;  sharpers  will  get  in  control  of  those 
parties  and  government;  repeal  all  the  laws  they  are 
making,  make  new  ones  and  run  things  in  the  good 
old  way. 

"They  will  have  millionaires,  even  if  they  have  to 
make  them,  the  same  as  in  the  United  States,  by  giving 
land,  then  money  to  build  a  railroad  and  let  them  keep 
the  whole  thing." 

"I  believe  you  are  right,"  said  Coy.  "It  would  seem 
the  proper  thing  to  stand  in  and  await  our  time.  After 
the  steamers  arrive  with  passengers  and  railroad  mate 
rial  we  will  see  how  things  move.  They  will  of  course 
sell  all  the  gold  as  a  commodity.  I  think  it  a 
shame  to  let  all  that  gold  go  out  of  the  country;  we 
could  just  as  well  have  issued  interest-bearing  bonds, 
sold  them  and  kept  that  gold  in  this  country;  but  they 
will  issue  paper  money  and  build  the  road. 

"People  will  take  it  because  government  will  retain 


AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  2O7 

all  these  valuable  farming  lands  as  a  pledge  tor  the 
honesty  of  the  money.  The  same  people  who  use  the 
lands  will  not  object  to  using  the  money;  besides,  the 
way  they  have  it  arranged,  they  can  turn  right  around 
and  invest  all  their  savings  in  railroad  stock;  then  cash 
the  railroad  stock  again  whenever  they  need  money  or 
if  they  want  to  leave  the  country,  go  to  the  treasury 
and  buy  gold.  Rest  assured,  people  will  not  object  to 
that  kind  of  money  and  gold  will  be  a  commodity  and 
nothing  else.  It  will  knock  banking  and  railroad 
schemes  higher  than  a  kite. 

"When  the  railroad  is  built  and  a  goodly  amount  of 
money  in  circulation,  we  can  take  maps  of  the  country 
and  descriptions,  showing  vast  mineral  deposits,  go  to 
England  and  lay  the  matter  before  the  bankers  there. 
If  this  gold  is  shipped,  and  such  shipments  continue 
for  any  length  of  time,  it  will  knock  the  bottom  out  of 
gold;  the  banks  of  England  holding  the  bulk  of  that 
metal  will  suffer  heavy  loss  by  this  extraordinary  pro 
duction.  This  being  the  case  they  will  probably  stand 
in  with  any  proposition  that  is  likely  to  crush  this  new 
plan,  put  the  gold  in  circulation  here  and  save  their 
country,  also  the  United  States,  from  being  flooded 
with  our  gold. 

"To  effect  this  I  have  two  plan&inview:  the  first  is, 
to  take  with  me  a  list  of  all  the  men  here,  also  a 
sample  of  all  money  issued;  have  fine  counterfeits 
struck,  put  two  or  three  thousand  dollars  in  an 
envelope  and  send  to  each  man,  and  the  country 
will  be  so  flooded  with  paper  money  that  they  will  all 
cry  out  for  gold.  The  paper  money  will  then  be  con 
sidered  a  failure.  This  is  the  plan  by  which  the  Eng 
lish  destroyed  our  Continental  money  during  the 
Revolutionary  war;  it  worked  then,  it  will  work  now. 
Should  this  fail,  my  next  plan  would  be  to  await  our 
time,  get  up  a  conspiracy  and  overthrow  the  govern 
ment,  or  at  least  the  present  system.  This  would 
probably  be  no  difficult  matter  after  the  country  begins 
to  fill  up." 

On  the  following  day  the  convention  again  assembled 
and  Mr.  Jefferson  explained  that  there  could  be  but 


2O8  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

little  mor*  work  done  until  immigrants  and  material 
arrived.  Me  then  proceeded  to  outline  a  course  of 
procedure  that  would  redound  to  the  good  of  all. 

If  was  after  this  arranged  that  a  party  be  organized 
to  complete  a  railroad  survey  from  the  great  river  to 
the  foot  of  the  lake.  This  would  enable  them  to  furnish 
work  for  all  as  soon  as  landed. 

Next  in  the  line  of  business,  Mr.  Summerville  was 
granted  a  commission  as  General-in-Chief  of  the  army 
now  at  the  mines.  Mr.  Bundy  and  Lincoln  were 
installed  as  President  and  Secretary  for  a  term  of  one 
year,  when  another  Congress  would  be  convened  to 
perfect  their  government. 

Mr.  Broinly  was  appointed  to  make  the  survey.  Mr. 
Jefferson  received  instruction  and  was  to  be  sent  to 
London  and  the  United  States  to  dispose  of  the  gold 
and  purchase  steamers,  railroad  material,  farming 
machinery  and  such  other  things  as  were  thought 
necessary.  To  let  contracts  for  the  building  of  war 
vessels  and  deposit  balance  of  gold  in  the  Bank  of 
England.  It  was  also  arranged  that  pack  trains  suffi 
cient  to  carry  all  the  gold  to  the  coast  be  employed 
and  loaded  on  their  return  trip  with  goods  for  the 
mines. 

The  business  of  the  convention  being  over  President 
Bundy  and  Gen.  Summerville  turned  their  attention  to 
locating  the  different  missionaries  among  the  Kings. 
When  each  had  been  assigned,  every  preparation  pos 
sible  was  made  to  assist  them  in  their  laudable  purpose. 

While  these  gentlemen  were  looking  after  the 
missionary  work,  Mr.  Baxter  had  organized  his  expedi 
tion  and  was  now  only  waiting  to  see  the  gold  train 
off  before  taking  his  own  leave. 

An  escort  of  one  hundred  men  had  been  organized, 
the  train  too  was  now  in  readiness.  On  loading  the 
gold  Mr.  Baxter  was  very  much  interested  and  declared 
he  did  not  suppose  there  was  so  much  gold  in  existence 
and  he  could  not  have  imagined  that  $15,000,000 
would  make  such  a  load. 

The  night  before  Mr.  Jefferson  was  to  start  for  the 
coast,  he  and  the  other  three,  Bundy,  Lincoln  and 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

Summerville  were  together  in  the  President's  office. 
In  discussing  the  question  of  money,  it  was  agreed  to 
have  the  very  best  plates  and  paper  that  could  be  made 
and  to  use  every  precaution  against  counterfeits. 

The  General-  .related  the  circumstance  of  Saunders, 
Coy  and  Baxter  having  met  him  on  the  road  and  their 
generous  offer  of  $20,000  for  his  influence  in  making 
gold  the  base  of  all  values.  The  President  and  Mr. 
Lincoln  then  called  to  mind  the  extraordinary  amount 
of  ammunition  boxes,  and  they  remembered  that  the 
boxes  had  long  ago  disappeared. 

It  was  suggested  that  they  were  probably  bank 
defaulters  and  it  would  be  well  to  keep  them  in  mind. 

Mr.  Lincoln  referred  to  the  methods  used  by  the 
English  to  destroy  our  Continental  money  and  said 
they  would  be  likely  to  try  the  same  plan,  but  he 
thought  any  attempt  of  that  kind  could  be  easily 
forestalled. 

It  is  possible  too  that  after  the  immigrants  arrive 
they  will  try  to  work  upon  their  superstitions  in  favor 
of  using  money  made  of  gold  and  incite  them  to  revo 
lution,  and  in  order  to  prevent  this  it  was  decided  to 
have  the  passengers  coming  on  government  steamers, 
well  posted  on  our  financial  system  and  also  have 
them  take  the  oath  of  allegience  before  receiving 
passage. 

On  the  following  day,  Mr.  Jefferson  took  leave  of  his 
associates  and  joined  the  pack  train  which  was  already 
under  way.  After  a  long,  hard  trip  of  six  weeks  they 
reached  Mr.  Brown's  place  just  in  time  to  take  a 
steamer  for  Liverpool.  Having  transferred  the  boxes 
from  the  train  to  the  steamer,  Mr.  Jefferson  ordered 
the  train  loaded  with  goods  for  the  mines  and  then 
went  on  board. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THAT  the  reader  may  have  a  clear  insight  into  the 
character  of  our  millionaire,  Mr.  Goldburg,  the 
writer  feels  it  a  duty  to  mention  briefly  his  actions 
toward  his  son.  Henry  Goldburg  had  an  exceptionally 
good  character;  his  mother  and  sister,  Rebecca,  were 
proud  of  the  boy,  but  owing  to  his  constant  attendance 
at  school  and  college,  they  had  but  very  little  of  his 
society.  At  the  age  of  21,  having  completed  his 
course,  he  returned  home  and  was  given  a  place  in  the 
bank  at  $150  a  month.  Mr.  Goldburg  made  a  great 
effort  to  interest  his  son  in  some  of  his  great  railroad 
schemes  and  banking  speculations;  but  Henry  being  of 
a  literary  turn  of  mind  seemed  to  have  but  little  taste 
for  such  things.  One  verse  from  Shakespeare,  Bacon, 
Byron,  Burns  or  Scott  furnished  him  more  food  for 
reflection  than  all  the  railroad  schemes  his  father  ever 
heard  of.  He  had  already  written  several  fine  articles 
and  his  reputation  was  such  that  as  a  writer  he  bid 
fair  to  stand  high.  Mr.  Goldburg  seeing  that  the  boy 
took  no  interest  in  his  schemes,  failed  to  see  in  him 
any  other  talent;  in  fact  was  himself  blinded  to  any 
other  merit  and  began  to  look  upon  the  boy  as  a 
kind  of  "lunk-head. " 

In  consequence  of  this,  his  only  hope  of  perpetuating 
the  great  monetary  dynasty  he  had  so  firmly  established 
in  the  great  American  Republic,  was  to  marry  his 
daughter  to  some  millionaire  who  had  already  com 
menced  his  record  as  a  financier.  This  was  one  of  his 
strongest  reasons  for  favoring  the  suit  of  Mr.  Goldaker. 

At  the  age  of  21  Henry  married  a  Miss  Bradley, 
daughter  of  a  millionaire  of  Lowell.  Miss  Bradley  was 
in  every  way  a  kind,  sweet  and  pretty  girl;  while  in  her 
childish  simplicity  she  was  lovable,  'she  was  in  no  way 


AN     IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  211 

calculated  to  be  any  great  assistance  to  the  young  man 
in  deciding  his  future  course.  They  commenced  mar 
ried  life  at  a  first-class  hotel  and  soon  discovered  that 
in  this  way  of  living  his  modest  salary  would  be  barely 
sufficient.  The  Bradleys  had  fitted  the  girl  out  with 
several  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  jewelry  and  finery, 
and  expected  Mr.  Goldburg  would  give  his  son  a  start, 
as  became  a  millionaire;  therefore  gave  the  matter  no 
further  attention. 

Henry  soon  realized  that  something  must  be  done, 
and  feeling  it  would  be  wrong  to  bring  care  to  his 
young  wife  by  discussing  business  matters  so  early  in 
their  honey-moon,  worried  over  the  matter  for  a  time 
and  then  resolved,  as  any  sensible  young  man  would 
have  done,  to  consult  his  mother.  Before  this  thought 
was  carried  out,  however,  the  young  man  met  with 
assistance  from  a  very  different  source  from  what  he 
had  expected. 

Mr.  Goldman,  the  bank  clerk,  who  had  been  in  the 
bank  ever  since  it  was  founded,  and  who  had  furnished 
the  brains  for  carrying  out  nearly  every  big  financial 
steal  that  Mr.  Goldburg  had  been  in  since  their  present 
relation  commenced,  was  not  slow  to  take  in  the  situation. 

Having  great  friendship  and  respect  for  Henry,  he 
approached  the  matter  with  a  warmth  of  feeling  which 
was  to  him  quite  uncommon.  Henry  was  pleased  to 
see  that  his  father's  old  trusty  was  taking  so  much 
interest  in  his  welfare  and  was  glad  to  take  advantage 
of  any  counsel  this  experienced  friend  might  offer. 

"I  know  your  feelings,"  said  Mr.  Goldman,  "you 
want  to  make  a  start  but  you  do  not  like  to  ask  for 
money,  and  your  chances  for  getting  it  are  none  too 
good.  I  would  like  to  know  what  business  you  prefer. " 

"I  have  no  particular  choice,"  said  Henry,  "but  I 
know  I  can  do  nothing  without  money." 

"That  is  true,"  said  Mr.  Goldman,  "in  all  ordinary 
business.  In  the  banking  business,  however,  it  is  very 
different.  The  House  and  Senate  of  the  United  States 
under  the  direction  of  English  and  American  syndicates 
are  remarkable  for  one  thing  at  least, ;  they  have 
created  a  god  and  that  god  is  coin.  To  commence 


212  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

business  with  limited  capital  is  to  invite  failure.  The 
laws  are  so  completely  on  the  side  of  the  banker  that 
it  is  only  an  accident  when  a  man  finds  an  opportunity 
of  commencing  business  on  a  small  capital  with  the 
slightest  hope  of  success;  the  manipulation  of  Congress 
by  the  money  power,  has  established  in  the  United 
States  a  financial  system  which  is  destined  to  concen 
trate  the  property  of  the  country  in  a  very  short  time, 
in  the  hands  of  a  few  individuals,  and  men  of  small 
capital,  under  the  system  must  encounter  many  obstacles. 
In  fact  it  seems  there  is  but  one  chance  in  a  thousand 
for  anything  beyond  a  living;  and  that  is  secured  only 
by  one  party  swallowing  up  the  other  in  regular  fish 
style,  by  some  sharp  and  fraudulent  deal.  As  you  are 
inclined  to  be  liberal,  you  would  soon  go  to  the  wall, 
just  as  thousands  ot  others  are  constantly  doing. 
Therefore  the  thought  of  any  small  deal  should  be 
abandoned.  You  could  no  doubt  borrow  money  to 
commence  on,  but  what  is  the  use?" 

After  some  little  thought  the  financier  quietly  knocked 
the  ashes  from  his  cigar  and  in  a  sympathetic,  confi 
dential  manner  asked  Henry  how  he  would  like  the 
banking  business. 

"I  have  made  a  mistake,  I  fear,  in  not  studying 
finance,  which  leaves  me  entirely  unfit  to  take  charge 
of  a  bank  and  in  consequence  of  this  my  father  would 
hardly  let  me  have  any  money,  besides  banking  neces 
sarily  takes  a  large  capital." 

"What  your  father  would  do,  I  cannot  say,  but  in 
everything  else  you  are  wrong,"  said  the  expert,  "for 
the  truth  is,  while  bankers  mix  things  up  in  such  a  way 
as  to  befog  the  people  outside,  when  you  get  behind 
the  screens  there  is  no  business  so  simple.  You  have 
in  reality  been  doing  the  most  difficult  work  in  your 
father's  bank.  There  is  really  nothing  in  banking, 
under  our  present  system,  but  drawing  interest  on 
government  bonds,  loaning  money  on  real  estate  and 
collecting  the  interest.  When  it  comes  down  to  a 
nicety,  that  is  all  there  is  to  it.  All  this  talk  you  hear 
about  ten  thousand  different  causes  that  bring  panics 
and  financial  distress  is  mere  sophistry.  It  is  thrown 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  21$ 

out  to  confuse  the  mind  and  hide  the  real  cause,  which 
is  invariably  some  gigantic  fraud  practiced  on  the 
people.  There  is  plenty  of  business  in  the  western 
part  of  the  city  and  if  you  will  let  stock  gambling  alone 
it  will  be  less  complicated  than  running  a  candy  shop. 
Of  course  in  making  loans,  you  will  have  to  be  careful 
to  have  good  security;  keep  the  whip  always  in  your 
own  hands  and  don't  be  timid  about  using  it. 

"Now  while  your  father  would  not  be  willing  to  lend 
you  the  necessary  money,  he  would  probably  be  willing 
to  sign  a  check  for  the  amount  in  60  days. " 

"But,"  said  Henry,  "how  am  I  to  pay  the  money 
back  in  60  days  and  continue  business?" 

"O,"  said  the  clerk,  "after  you  are  once  started  you 
can  do  business  on  the  strength  of  your  bonds  and 
make  loans  from  your  deposits. " 

"But,"  said  Henry,  "suppose  the  depositors  should 
close  on  me?" 

"This  they  are  not  likely  to  do.  The  name,  Gold- 
burg,  is  worth  a  good  deal;  but  if  they  do  you  can 
borrow  money  to  tide  you  over  or  you  can  close  your 
doors  and  the  depositors  are  the  ones  who  will  lose." 

"Henry  hesitated  a  moment,  then  said,  "If  I  have  to 
borrow  money  the  interest  will  eat  me  up,  as  it 
does  others." 

"Not  so,  said  the  clerk,  "you  only  have  to  borrow 
for  a  day  or  two,  in  case  of  a  scare;  when  you  have 
paid  your  depositors  off  confidence  will  have  been 
restored  and  in  less  than  a  week  the  money  will  all 
come  back.  Bankers  generally  accommodate  each 
other  in  that  way,  so  you  see  it  is  a  very  easy  matter 
to  use  the  same  money  in  three  or  four  different  banks 
except  in  case  of  a  general  panic;  but  a  man  who  has 
no  more  personal  ambition  for  getting  rich  than  you, 
can  always  keep  enough  of  his  deposits  on  hand  to 
avert  all  danger  and  still  make  all  the  money  he  cares 
for.  Banking,  you  see,  is  not  strictly  a  business;  but 
rather  a  game,  and  a  very  one  sided  game  at  that.  It 
is  what  gamblers  would  call  a  dead  open  and  shut 
percentage  game.  The  principal  percentage  is  in 
drawing  interest  on  bonds  thev  do  not  own,  and  also 


214  AN    ID£AL    REPUBLIC. 

drawing  interest  on  money  they  owe  to  their  depositors 
by  loaning  it  to  another  party. 

"Now  Henry,"  continued  Mr.  Goldman,  "if  you  will 
do  as  I  say  I  think  you  can  make  a  start  in  banking 
on  a  letter  of  credit  from  your  father  and  return  his 
letter  or  check  inside  of  60  days  and  still  have  your 
business  established  as  solid  as  a  rock  backed  by  a  big 
income  from  interest  on  government  bonds. " 

Henry  was  astonished,  but  he  knew  the  ability  of 
Mr.  Goldman  was  unquestioned;  he  knew  also  how 
his  father  had  piled  up  millions,  while  all  his  neighbors 
were  losing  money.  He  did  not  believe  that  loss  on 
one  side  and  gain  on  the  other  could  be  the  result  ot 
honest  methods;  he  had  not  yet  discovered  that  the 
whole  banking  system  was  governed  by  laws  carefully 
prepared  by  millionaires  for  the  express  purpose  of 
legally  robbing  the  people. 

Having  a  young  wife,  he  was  anxious  to  take  advan 
tage  of  any  advice  his  friend  might  give,  in  order  to 
make  a  respectable  start  in  life.  As  bankers  seemed  to 
be  the  only  men  in  the  country  who  were  making 
money,  he  resolved  to  trust  the  whole  matter  to  the 
superior  judgment  of  his  friend. 

At  this  time  Mr.  Goldburg  was  in  Chicago  looking 
after  some  of  his  western  interests,  and  Mr.  Goldman 
informed  Henry  that  it  would  be  two  months  before 
his  return,  but  as  his  instructions  gave  him  full  and 
unlimited  power,  it  would  not  be  necessary  to  await 
Mr.  Goldburg's  return.  He  further  said  that  he  would 
prepare  the  papers  that  evening  for  organizing  a  bank 
ing  company  and  would  let  him  use  his  name  as  one  of 
the  company.  On  the  following  day  they  went  to  the 
west  part  of  the  city,  secured  a  room,  ordered  it  fitted 
up,  then  called  upon  and  secured  the  names  of  some  of 
the  most  prominent  men  of  that  part  of  the  city  to  be 
used  in  organizing  a  company.  This  done,  they  went 
to  New  York,  where  Mr.  Goldman  introduced  Henry 
as  the  son  of  his  employer,  the  millionaire  of  Bopeep, 
having  already  given  him  a  check  for  $100,000  on  60 
days'  time  with  his  father's  name  affixed  by  Cashier 
Goldman.  In  accordance  with  Goldman's  instructions, 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  215 

Henry  stated  to  the  banker  that  he  desired  a  loan  of 
$  i  oo, ooo  for  a  few  days.  As  Mr.  Goldman  was  well 
known  to  the  bankers  the  money  was  forthcoming  at 
once,  and  a  charge  of  only  $200  was  made  for  the 
favor.  Taking  his  $100,000  in  greenbacks,  Henry  and 
his  friend  proceeded  to  invest  it  in  Government  bonds 
drawing  5  per  cent  interest,  which  would  give  Henry 
an  annual  income  of  $5,000.  The  next  step  was  to 
apply  for  and  secure  a  charter,  according  to  law;  with 
the  charter  Henry  received  $90,000  of  his  money  back 
from  the  Government — not  in  greenbacks,  but  in 
National  Bank  notes,  which  was  money  to  all  intents 
and  purposes.  Mr.  Goldman  then  gave  Henry  a  check 
of  $10,000  on  60  days'  time;  this  was  also  signed  by 
Mr.  Goldman,  Cashier  for  the  millionaire.  They  then 
dropped  into  another  bank  where  Goldman  was  well 
known,  and  had  it  cashed;  the  bank  where  they  had 
borrowed  the  $100,000  was  the  next  place  visited  and 
Henry  returned  to  them  their  $100,000;  this  took  the 
$90,000  received  from  Government  and  the  $10,000 
received  on  Goldburg's  check  on  60  days,  signed  by 
the  Cashier  of  the  bank  at  Bopeep.  Henry  then  paid 
the  $200  out  of  his  pocket  money  and  the  two  returned 
to  Bopeep  where  Henry,  with  a  clerk  whom  Goldburg 
recommended,  opened  a  new  National  Bank. 

The  boy  had  pocket  money  enough  to  fit  up  a  room 
and  as  he  was  the  son  of  a  millionaire  and  had  secured 
the  names  of  some  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  New 
York  to  form  his  company,  he  at  once  had  the  confi 
dence  of  the  entire  community  and  deposits  soon  filled 
his  vaults.  Acting  on  Mr.  Goldman's  advice,  in  a  few 
weeks  he  paid  the  check  of  $10,000  out  of  his  deposits 
and  had  established  a  business  that  would  probably 
pay  him  $10,000  a  year,  beside  the  interest  on  $100,000 
bonds  which  he  never  owned. 

Everything  was  running  so  smoothly  that  Henry 
could  hardly  comprehend  what  had  transpired,  the 
change  was  so  sudden; he  felt  as  if  he  had  been  hypnotized 
and  robbed  some  one;  when  he  had  a  little  leisure,  he 
dropped  in  on  his  friend  Goldman  who  seemed  more 
than  usually  sociable.  After  seating  themselves  com- 


2l6  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

posedly  and  lighting  their  cigars,  Henry  reported  the 
condition  of  the  new  Bank  and  added,  that  he  could 
hardly  realize  the  change  for,  said  he,  "I  really  started 
with  nothing  and  am  already  growing  into  wealth,  in 
spite  of  my  ignorance  of  finance,  and  that  too,  at  a 
time  when  business  failures  throughout  the  country 
are  more  numerous  than  ever  before. " 

"Your  ignorance  of  finance,"  said  Mr.  Goldman,  "is 
the  very  thing  which  makes  it  look  so  strange;  but 
when  you  take  the  fact  into  consideration  that  all  our 
banking  laws  are  made  in  London  or  Wall  Street  by 
men  who  are  schooled  in  the  use  of  money  to  control 
men,  and  have  used  their  intellect  to  make  the  laws  for 
the  express  purpose  of  building  up  their  own  interests, 
to  the  loss  of  all  others,  it  is  not  so  wonderful  after  all. " 

After  a  rambling  conversation,  Mr.  Goldman  said, 
"you  now  have  a  business  established  (if  banking  can 
be  called  a  business),  which  by  -careful  management, 
will  pay  you  from  $10,000  to  $20,000  annually;  it 
looks  to  me  as  if  the  proper  thing  for  you  to  do,  would 
be  to  make  a  sinking  fund  of  the  interest  on  those 
bonds;  all  they  have  really  cost  you  is  $10,000;  that 
you  will,  of  course,  have  to  pay  from  your  deposits 
and  will  eventually  have  to  be  paid  back  to  the  deposi 
tors.  As  they  have  cost  you  so  little  you  can  afford  to 
set  that  money  one  side,  keep  it  on  interest  constantly, 
and  give  it  to  your  oldest  boy." 

Henry  flushed  a  little  at  this  and  in  order  to  pass  it 
over  lightly,  at  the  same  time  display  his  rapidity  at 
figures,  picked  up  a  pencil  and  calculated  the  compound 
interest  of  the  bonds.  After  a  few  minutes'  lively  work 
he  exclaimed,  "my  God,  at  the  expiration  of  the  bonds 
in  twenty  years,  beside  having  furnished  me  a  basis  to 
do  business  on,  they  will  have  netted  me  in  interest 
over  $250,000."  Pausing  in  deep  thought  for  a  few 
moments,  still  examining  the  paper,  he  continued, 
"but  then  it  will  be  difficult  to  keep  it  on  interest  con 
stantly."  "Not  at  all,"  said  Mr.  Goldman,  "the  bankers 
have  long  since  pushed  a  law  through  Congress  to 
withdraw  the  greenback  from  circulation.  The  people 
mn^t  ha^e  mon^v  tn  Ho  Hncin^co  with  and  will  thus  be 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  217 

compelled  to  go  to  the  bank  and  borrow;  there  is  no 
other  way  for  them  to  get  it.  By  making  a  special 
deal  on  this  interest  at  5  per  cent  you  can  have  it  com 
pounded  every  six  months;  you  were  figuring  on  com 
pounding  every  year,  so  you  will  have  even  more  than 
your  figures  call  for. " 

"Well,  for  the  Lord's  sake,"  said  Henry,  "is  it  pos 
sible  that  all  the  National  Banks  in  the  country  are 
drawing  money  out  of  the  Government  treasury  in 
this  way?"  "Possible,"  said  Goldman,  "not  only 
possible,  but  an  actual  fact." 

"No  wonder  then,"  said  Henry,  "some  men  make 
millions  while  the  people  in  general  are  losing  money 
and  fast  becoming  bankrupt;  it  could  not  be  otherwise, 
and  I  now  wonder  what  will  be  the  outcome  of  all  this 
and  whither  is  our  country  drifting.  In  a  little  while, 
refinement,  knowledge  and  virtue  will  all  count  for 
nothing  and  worth  will  be  counted  by  dollars  and  cents; 
the  masses  will  become  so  poor  that,  they  will  barter 
their  souls  for  cash." 

"That,"  said  Mr.  Goldman,  "will  undoubtedly  be 
the  result  and  then  classes  will  rule  as  in  Europe,  while 
the  people  are  growing  poorer,  patriotism  and  courage 
will  disappear." 

"Why  don't  the  newspapers  blow  up  Congress  for 
passing  such  laws?"  said  Henry. 

"Many  of  the  large  papers  are  owned,  or  partially  so, 
by  bankers;  the  small  ones,  like  the  people,  are  gener 
ally  hard  up  and  have  to  borrow  money  from  the  banks, 
therefore  the  press  is  as  completely  throttled  in  this 
country  as  in  Russia." 

"Why  don't  the  people  make  a  general  remonstrance 
against  such  laws?" 

"Because  they  read  the  papers  and  are  led  astray; 
if  I  were  to  stamp  the  State  and  tell  the  whole  truth, 
the  papers  would  denounce  and  the  people  would  not 
believe  me,  but  would  call  me  a  crank.  You  have  been 
reading  our  great  dailies  for  several  years,  you  have 
leisure  and  education,  have  established  yourself  in 
business  at  the  expense  of  the  Government  and  you 
hardly  believe  it." 


2l8  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

"That  is  a  fact,"  said  Henry,  "I  will  have  to  give 
it  up.  But  since  I  come  to  think,  it  is  not  so  strange 
after  all;  we  are  told  that  many  deductive  facts  are  the 
reverse  of  what  they  seem.  The  world  seems  to  be  flat 
but  it  is  round.  The  American  press  would  seem  to 
be  the  guardian  of  justice  but  the  rule  holds  good  in 
regard  to  it  and  by  carefully  examining  the  matter  we 
would  find  it  to  be  exactly  the  reverse.  If  this  is  so, 
the  same  people  who  learned  that  the  world  is  round, 
will  find  out  in  time  that  the  press  is  only  a  deception. " 

Thanking  his  friend,  Henry  took  his  departure. 

On  returning  from  Chicago,  the  millionaire  found  his 
boy  firmly  planted  in  business,  backed  by  the  deposit 
of  bonds  in  the  sum  of  $100,000  and  the  question  at 
once  came  to  his  mind  as  to  how  the  young  man  pro 
cured  the  money.  His  first  suspicions  fell  upon  Mr. 
Goldman  and  he  ordered  a  general  overhauling  of  the 
books;  finding  the  books  balanced,  he  interviewed  the 
New  York  bankers  and  found  that  his  name  had  been 
used  on  checks  which  had  all  been  paid.  A  detective 
was  then  employed  and  it  was  learned  that  Mr.  Gold 
man  had  worked  the  whole  thing.  The  boy  had  been 
started  in  business  with  an  annual  interest  coming 
from  bonds,  amounting  to  $5,000  per  year  and  a  busi 
ness  that  would  make  him  a  millionaire  in  course  of 
a  lifetime.  This  too  had  all  been  done  and  no  crime 
could  be  attached  to  it,  nor  had  one  dollar  of  Mr. 
Goldburg's  money  been  touched. 

When  Mr.  Goldburg  became  fully  acquainted  with  the 
transaction  it  gave  him  renewed  confidence  in  his  son 
and  he  notified  Mr.  Goldman  to  give  him  unlimited 
favor.  Henry,  however,  was  too  honest  and  large 
hearted  to  ever  become  a  millionaire;  he  contented 
himself  with  the  ordinary  resources  of  the  bank  and 
bonds;  became  rich  but  not  a  millionaire. 

The  writer  would  feel  himself  recreant  to  an  important 
duty  were  be  to  close  this  chapter  without  calling  the 
attention  of  the  reader  to  the  fact  that  there  is  no 
method  by  which  a  man  engaged  in  any  other  branch 
of  business  could  start  in  a  similar  way  and  continue 
in  business  six  months. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

AFTER  a  very  agreeable  voyage,  Mi,  Jefferson 
reached  Liverpool.  In  the  great  cities  oi  Eng 
land  he  felt  like  a  caged  bird — the  red  tape  and  form 
alities  were  so  common  as  to  be  almost  beyond  endurance 
There  were  officers  everywhere  and  the  people  con 
stantly  on  the  move.  Life  in  all  its  different  phases, 
from  the  oldest  to  the  youngest,  from  the  richest  to  the 
poorest  were  all  striving,  striving,  striving;  some  for 
bread,  some  for  wealth  and  a  very  few  sought  knowl 
edge;  but  all  strove  according  to  their  own  peculiar 
desires  and  tastes. 

"Why  all  this?"  said  Mr.  Jefferson.  "Why  do  men 
seek  happiness  in  superfluous  wealth  and  vain  display 
while  others  are  in  want?  If  man  has  an  immortal 
soul,  then  this  wrong  will  surely  react  upon  his  future 
self.  If  we  have  no  immortal  part,  why  strive  for  more 
than  we  can  use?  It  would  be  infinitely  better  to  call 
a  halt  and  enjoy  wha£  we  already  have." 

After  turning  about  $5,000,000  of  gold  over  to  the 
officials  of  the  mint,  Mr.  Jefferson  took  in  the  city  for 
a  few  days  and  did  not  lack  attention;  being  of  a 
retiring  nature  he  managed  to  pass  much  of  his  time 
alone  which  better  enabled  him  to  consider  and  profit 
by  the  many  instructive  lessons  which  a  great  city  affords. 

His  first  step  in  business  was  to  purchase: 

4  Ocean   Steamers $2,000,000 

4  River  Steamers  at  $200,000 800,000 

Railroad  Iron  for  100  miles 400,000 

4  Locomotives 34,  ooo 

Flat,  Freight  and  Passr.  Cars 200,  ooo 

Tools  and  hardware 466,  ooo 

Supplies,  voyage  and  colony 400,000 

Total  amount $4, 300,000 


220  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

Having  manned  and  loaded  the  four  River  Steamers 
and  one  large  Steamer,  also  having  taken  on  2,000 
immigrants,  he  dispatched  them  for  Africa. 

With  the  other  three  steamers  partially  loaded  with 
railroad  iron,  he  went  to  New  York  and  proceeded  to 
buy  as  follows: 

Printing  office  fixtures,  including  press 
and  all  necessary  machinery  for  running 
a  first-class  office,  together  with  lytho- 
graphing  outfit  for  use  of  the  treasury 
department  in  making  money,  and  sun 
dries,  amounting  in  all  to $1,000,000 

100  head  cows,  100  work  cattle,  100  horses  17,000 

General  supplies — groceries,  dry  goods.  500,000 

10  saw  mills — hardware  and  tools.    400,000 

Total $1,917,000 

Amount  paid  out  in  London 4,300,000 

Total  paid  out  including  i  war  ship       1,000,000 
Grand  total ,..     $7,217,000 

The  gold  in  all  had  minted  $15,500,000,  so  it  will 
therefore  be  seen  that  there  was  remaining  in  the  bank 
to  the  credit  of  the  Republic  $8,283,000. 

There  had  been  collected  from  passengers  in  all 
$250,000;  this  Mr.  Jefferson  retained  as  an  incidental 
fund.  Before  leaving  New  York  he  had  made  every 
possible  effort  to  secure  the  service  of  the  very  best 
lithographers  and  engravers  to  accompany  him  and  had 
been  quite  successful. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  first  fleet  on  the  great  river, 
they  were  met  by  President  Bundy  who  had  already 
selected  a  landing;  a  town  had  also  been  surveyed  and 
as  a  large  part  of  the  immigrants  were  composed  of 
families  and  had  tents,  they  selected  lots  and  fixed  up 
comfortable  homes. 

Some  of  them  moved  upon  farming  lands  near  the 
city,  which  had  been  surveyed  in  forty  acre  lots.  A 
reservation  of  four  miles  square  had  been  kept  for  the 
use  of  the  city;  then  the  next  two  miles  from  that  had 
been  run  off  into  forty  acre  tracts;  then  twenty-two 


AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  221 

miles  more  in  eighty  acre  lots,  after  that  in  160  acre 
lots,  all  subject  to  squatter  rights. 

The  cattle  driven  in  by  the  natives  were  bought, 
tamed,  put  to  work,  and  in  two  weeks  from  that  time 
planting  had  commenced. 

When  Mr.  Jefferson  arrived  he  found  railroad  material 
and  stores  all  landed;  the  families  all  nicely  located  in 
tents;  store  tents  had  been  put  up  and  filled  with 
goods;  a  market  place  established  where  natives  brought 
meat,  eggs,  fowls,  fruits  and  vegetables  to  sell.  It  was 
wonderful  how  quickly  they  learned  the  use  ot  money 
and  it  pleased  the  whites  to  see  what  friendly  people 
they  had  found. 

The  small  boats  had  been  up  the  river  with  exploring 
parties  and  found  an  extensive  forest  of  pine  over  200 
miles  above;  they  had  also  passed  through  an  immense 
hardwood  country,  and  now  that  the  machinery  was  on 
hand,  it  was  decided  to  send  two  of  the  mills  up  at 
once.  In  a  few  days  one  was  sent  to  the  pinery  to  cut 
lumber  for  the  buildings,  the  other  to  the  hardwoods 
to  cut  lumber  for  wagon  and  ship  timber.  This  mill 
was  provided  with  machinery  to  make  spokes,  felloes 
and  staves. 

The  Ocean  steamers  were  sent  to  Liverpool  for  railroad 
iron;  to  proceed  to  the  United  States  for  work-horses 
and  cattle,  hogs  and  poultry;  also  passengers  and  goods. 

Two  weeks  after  the  vessels  took  their  departure,  an 
enterprising  individual  from  Texas,  sailed  into  the 
harbor  with  a  ship  load  of  cattle  and  horses;  he  came 
on  the  strength  of  what  he  had  learned  in  New  York; 
the  animals  found  ready  sale  with  the  immigrants  and 
soon  were  employed  in  building  railroad  or  putting 
in  crops. 

A  eub-treasury  had  been  established,  money  and 
stock  had  been  printed  and  five  companies  had  been 
organized — a  steamship  and  navigation  company,  with 
a  capital  stock  of  $10,000,000;  railroad  transportation 
company,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $10,000,000;  lumber 
and  milling  company,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $6,000,000; 
building  company,  with  a  capital  stock  or  $4,000,000; 
commercial  company,  with  a  caniM  stock  of  $6,000,000; 


222  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

mining    company,     with  a  capital  stock  of  $2,000,000. 

All  the  personal  interest  of  the  government  in  prop 
erty  was  turned  over  to  these  companies,  except  the 
war  vessel. 

Now  that  the  treasury  could  be  drawn  on  for  money, 
as  work  progressed,  a  remarkable  activity  commenced. 

Scraper  outfits  were  sent  to  the  grade  on  the  railroad, 
rock  men  were  put  to  work,  mines  were  being  opened, 
mills  were  running  and  vast  quantities  of  lumber  were 
being  landed  at  Summerville,  the  city  which  had 
sprung  into  existence  at  the  landing  on  the  great  river. 

Buildings  were  everywhere  going  up,  bricks  being 
moulded  and  stone  quarries  opened;  coal  was  also  being 
mined  and  would  soon  find  its  way  to  the  coast  for 
the  use  of  steamers. 

All  this  was  being  done  without  one  word  of  com 
plaint  about  money.  Why  should  they  complain? 
The  money  they  had  would  buy  anything  that  was  to 
be  had;  it  was  good  at  the  stores  and  gold  coin  was 
at  a  discount  of  50  per  cent,  caused  by  a  law  of  the 
country.  Even  California  in  her  palmiest  days,  when 
gold  was  being  made  into  money  by  the  millions,  never 
experienced  more  thrift  than  did  this  new  Republic. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  when  the  United  States 
issued  so  much  greenback  money  to  carry  on  the  great 
war  of  the  Rebellion,  business  of  all  kinds  was  quick 
ened  and  notwithstanding  the  dreadful  ravages  of  war, 
such  a  degree  of  prosperity  has  been  seldom,  if  ever 
seen,  outside  of  countries  where  new  discoveries  of 
great  mineral  wealth  has  accidentally  placed  a  large 
amount  of  money  in  circulation. 

From  this  it  would  seem  that  in  all  cases  where 
money  is  plenty  among  the  people,  business  is  brisk; 
and  as  soon  as  the  money  comes  under  the  control  of  a 
few  individuals,  it  is  to  the  injury  of  the  whole.  Just 
in  the  proportion  that  it  is  controlled,  in  the  same 
proportion  is  business  paralyzed. 

In  six  months  from  the  commencement  of  the  work 
the  railroad  had  been  completed  to  the  lake.  Previous 
to  this  a  colony  of  ship  builders  had  been  located  on  a 
beautiful  town  site  that  had  been  surveyed  by  govern- 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  22$ 

•        * 

ment  at  the  foot  of  the  lake.  These  families  had 
managed  to  get  in  lumber  enough  on  wagons  to  con 
struct  comfortable  houses,  and  now  that  the  ship 
building  material  could  be  had  over  the  railroad,  a 
boat  building  ^company  was  formed,  work  on  dock 
commenced  at  once,  and  soon  the  construction  of  lake 
boats  was  under  way. 

After  the  work  on  the  railroad  had  been  completed, 
the  men  and  teams  had  been  moved  to  the  capital, 
Kiyongo,  and  work  begun  on  a  road  to  the  mine. 

One  hundred  miles  from  Kiyongo,  in  a  low  range  of 
hills  along  the  route  of  the  new  railroad,  had  been 
found  a  deposit  of  iron  equal  to  those  worked  in  the 
United  States.  Coal,  lead  and  zinc  had  also  been 
found.  With  the  exception  of  some  fifty  miles  of 
country  where  these  mines  were  located,  the  entire 
route  was  through  a  farming  region  equal  in  fertility 
and  general  advantages  to  that  of  Illinois. 

Several  parties  had  been  for  months  running  section 
lines  on  a  strip  of  ten  miles  wide  on  each  side  of  the 
road  and  immigration  was  now  coming  in  so  rapidly 
that  the  settlement  of  this  strip  kept  pace  with  the 
advance  of  the  road,  while  other  extensive  tracts  were 
also  being  surveyed  and  taken  up. 

A  large  part  of  the  farmers  who  came  were  from  the 
United  States;  a  majority  were  men  who  had  owned 
valuble  lands  and  farms  there,  and  during  the  war 
when  money  was  plenty,  had  become  involved,  gen 
erally  from  improving  their  property  or  buying  new 
machinery  to  facilitate  labor;  but  in  consequence  of 
sickness,  fire,  flood,  storm  or  other  unforeseen  circum 
stances  were  unable  to  meet  the  full  obligation  when 
due,  and  before  another  opportunity  was  offered  the 
circulating  medium  was  withdrawn  through  the  enforce 
ment  of  the  contraction  act  and  their  productions  went 
down  in  price  to  such  an  extent  as  to  make  the  pay 
ment  of  debt  and  interest  impossible.  They  were 
therefore  forced  by  circumstances  wbich  they  could  not 
control  to  sell  their  homes  for  what  they  could  get, 
and  their  losses  went  into  the  coffers  to  swell  the  fund 
that  produced  the  present  cmr»  nf  millionaires. 


224  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

• 

A  great  many  ot  these  people  on  reaching  Africa  had 
money  enough  left  to  buy  such  teams  and  machinery 
as  would  be  needed  in  opening  a  new  farm. 

Many  of  them  when  their  crops  had  been  planted, 
sent  their  teams  to  the  grading  camps  to  earn  a  little 
money  and  in  this  way  the  farming  communities  were 
kept  alive  without  the  sad  alternatjve  of  going  to  the 
bank;  others,  who  had  no  teams,  went  upon  land  and 
worked  for  their  neighbors  until  they  had  money  to  buy 
teams  with;  others  took  land,  worked  for  their  neigh 
bors  who  in  turn  came  on  with  their  teams  and  a  crop 
was  soon  under  way.  There  were  still  others  who 
located  their  families  upon  land,  and  went  themselves 
to  the  public  works  and  there  soon  made  money  to 
procure  the  necessary  team  and  implements  to  go  on 
with  their  farming. 

Aged  persons,  who  in  youth  took  part  in  the  settle 
ment  of  Indiana,  Illinois,  Mississippi,  Wisconsin  and 
other  states  will  recognize  in  this  a  repetition  of  the 
history  of  that  period,  and  they  will  remember  how 
greed,  selfishness  and  crime  have  increased  among  the 
people  during  the  concentration  of  wealth  under  the 
unerring  work  of  our  financial  legislation  since  that 
time.  That  the  day  will  come  when  the  mask  will  be 
torn  aside,  by  means  of  which  this  wicked  legislation 
has  been  so  successfully  hid  for  many  years,  there  can 
be  but  little  doubt,  and  then  the  American  people  will 
recognize  the  fact  that  the  whole  fabric  is  based  upon 
gold  and  the  national  bank  is  only  a  machine  for  the 
successful  playing  of  a  confidence  game.  Its  object, 
which  already  marks  the  period  of  its  existence,  is 
simply  nothing  more  nor  less  than  to  rob  the  public  in 
favor  of  a  class,  and  thus  concentrate  wealth. 

When  the  large  immigration  reached  Kiyongo,  soon 
after  the  railroad  had  been  completed  to  the  lake,  they 
found  the  government  in  a  most  prosperous  condition. 

A  man  of  the  name  of  Pomroy — Brick  Pomroy — was 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  He  was  an  American, 
whether  he  was  any  relation  to  the  great  greenback 
leader  has  not  been  revealed  to  the  author,  but^sure  it 
is  that  he  possessed  some  sterling  qualities,  otherwise 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  225 

President  Bundy  would  not  have  felt  called  upon  in 
his  appointment  to  express  a  belief  that  he  was  about 
the  only  man  in  the  community  who  had  so  far  over 
come  his  superstitious  worship  of  gold,  that  he  could 
without  a  shudder,  ship  all  the  precious  metal  out  of 
the  country  and  have  no  fear  of  the  idol's  ghost  or  be 
overcome  by  pangs  of  remorse. 

During  the  past  year  there  had  been  money  enough 
paid  out  for  work  by  the  different  companies  to  supply 
plenty  of  the  circulating  medium.  There  had  been 
enough  gold  coin  brought  into  the  country  to  cover  the 
cattle,  horses,  hogs,  poultry  and  farm  implements 
imported.  Merchants  in  sending  for  goods  had  always 
changed  money  at  the  treasury  for  check  on  New  York 
or  London  and  thus  gold  became  unnecessary. 

During  the  year  $12,000,000  of  gold  bars  had  been 
received  from  the  mines  and  now  lay  in  the  treasury 
awaiting  shipment.  It  was  the  surplus  of  gold  output 
for  the  year,  the  balance  having  been  sent  to  Mr. 
Brown  from  time  to  time  to  be  used  in  supplying  the 
mines  with  dry  goods  and  notions. 

It  might  be  here  noted  that  as  yet  there  had  been 
but  little  change  in  the  mines.  Gen.  Summerville  was 
still  there  and  the  stores  were  all  under  his  control. 
In  them  he  had  many  white  men  employed  but  the 
mining  was  nearly  all  done  by  the  natives. 

After  the  government  issued  paper  money,  $12,000,- 
ooo  was  sent  to  the  mines  and  had  been  paid  out  for 
gold;  this  made  money  plentiful  there,  of  course,  just 
the  same  as  money  was  plentiful  in  California  in  1849 
and  1850;  the  only  difference  was  that  in  the  one  place 
it  was  gold  dollars,  the  other  it  was  paper. 

A  great  deal  of  this  money  found  its  way  back  to 
Kiyongo,  and  when  the  railroad  brought  retail  mer 
chants  in  from  Summerville  on  the  great  river,  they 
had  a  lively  trade  with  the  natives  and  many  became 
wealthy. 

During  the  year  a  government  had  been  perfected  at 
Kiyongo  in  strict  accordance  with  Mr.  Jefferson's  ideas 
as  embraced  in  the  rights  of  man. 

Mr.  Bundy  was  now  President,   Mr.   Lincoln   Sscre- 


226  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

tary  of  State,  and  Mr.  Jefferson  had  long  since  been 
sent  on  a  foreign  mission  to  look  after  the  interests  of 
the  Republic,  secure  desirable  immigration,  provide 
for  the  sale  of  gold,  and  purchase  and  ship  to  the 
Republic  such  articles  as  were  found  necessary. 

A  few  months  prior  to  the  organization  of  Govern 
ment  a  very  intelligent  individual  located  in  Kiyongo 
who,  it  was  said,  had  a  hobby;  that  hobby  was  called 
squatter  sovereignty  and  the  man's  name  was  Stephen 
A.  Douglas.  It  seems  that  President  Bundy  recog 
nized  in  this  man  not  a  hobby  but  true  business  tact 
and  the  very  grandest  of  patriotic  sentiments.  He  also 
believed  that  he  saw  in  him  a  peculiar  fitness  for 
handling  the  Land  Department  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
secure  every  man  in  his  right  of  possession  of  a  home, 
and  at  the  same  time  prevent  all  possibility  of  lands 
being  monopolized  or  kept  out  of  use  for  speculation; 
he  therefore  appointed  him  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

The  most  peculiar  feature  of  the  convention  which 
gave  form  to  the  new  Government  was  the  fact  that 
several  ladies  took  part  in  its  deliberations,  and  to  their 
zeal  and  wisdom  was  largely  due  the  complete  over 
throw  of  such  selfish  dogmas  and  superstitions  as 
intrinsic  value  of  money,  honest  dollar,  national  banks, 
interest,  discount,  strengthening  acts  and  confidence 
games  of  all  kinds  as  played  by  the  gold  power;  tariff, 
over-production,  and  a  thousand  and  one  other  hobbies, 
made  to  frighten  the  unwary  and  control  their  votes. 

The  Commercial  company  that  had  been  organized 
at  Summerville  now  had  a  large  wholesale  house  at 
that  place;  one  at  Mango,  that  being  the  name  of  the 
town  at  the  foot  of  the  lake,  and  another  at  Kiyongo. 
They  had  a  buyer  in  New  York,  who,  acting  under  the 
instructions  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  made  all  their  purchases. 
Being  an  extensive  buyer,  and  having  unlimited  capi 
tal,  he  was  enabled  to  get  bottom  prices;  and  as  the 
Company  was  limited  to  7  per  cent  profit  on  original 
investment,  they  were  able  to  furnish  the  retail  mer 
chants  with  goods  cheaper  than  they  would  have  been 
furnished  by  any  other  system,  and  the  retail  business 
being  open  to  competition,  goods  were  quite  reasonable. 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  227 

Along  the  shores  of  the  great  river  were  hundreds  of 
miles  of  fine  farming  land,  almost  equal  to  the  great 
Mississippi  Valley,  and  into  this  immense  belt  the 
immigrants  were  pouring  in  from  the  United  States  by 
thousands.  These  people  were  of  all  classes.  Some 
had  been  merchants  of  large  capital  but  on  account  of 
the  contraction  of  the  currency  in  favor  of  the  money 
lenders,  their  goods  had  so  lost  in  value  as  to  place 
them  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  their  creditors;  they  were 
therefore  forced  to  die  a  slow  but  sure  business  death 
from  being  eaten  up  by  that  great  financial  cancer, 
called  interest 

Others  had  been  working  for  men  who  had  been 
forced  to  suspend  business  from  the  same  cause. 

Then  there  were  others  who  had  been  working  where 
machinery  in  the  hands  of  great  corporations  had  come 
in  competition  with,  and  forced  their  employers  out  of 
business. 

President  Bundy,  in  visiting  and  looking  to  the 
welfare  of  these  people,  was  surprised  to  find  how  few 
chere  were  who  knew  the  real  cause  of  hard  times  in 
the  United  States.  There  had  been  no  failure  of  crops, 
the  mines  were  producing  great  quantities  of  gold  and 
siJver,  yet  many  of  them  said  it  was  hard  to  get  work 
enough  to  buy  food  and  clothes.  When  asked  the 
cause  of  this,  nine  out  of  ten  would  say,  over-production. 

Sometimes  they  would  get  into  discussions  about  it, 
and  use  the  same  old  political  gags,  hobbies  or  absurdi 
ties  as  rag  baby,  honest  dollar,  sound  money,  supply 
and  demand,  tariff,  protect  labor,  free  trade  but  never 
a  word  about  the  exception  clause  on  the  greenback, 
the  strengthening  act,  control  of  money  by  national 
banks,  demonetization  of  silver  in  favor  of  money 
lenders  and  creditor  class,  the  contraction  or  any  of 
the  giant  swindles  that  had  been  pulled  through  Con 
gress  to  rob  the  American  people  of  not  only  millions 
but  billions  of  dollars. 

"These  people,"  said  the  President,  "do  not  seem  to 
.comprehend  the  fact  that  when  there  is  plenty  of 
money  in  a  country  there  can  be  oo  such  thing  as 
over-production. " 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

SOON  after  the  railroad  had  been  completed  to  the 
iron  mines,  100  miles  from  Kiyongo,  a  gentleman 
made  his  appearance  at  that  place  and  after  looking 
about  for  a  few  days,  visited  the  mine  where  a  com 
pany  of  men  were  prospecting  and  taking  out  the  ore. 
After  spending  several  days  making  surveys,  diagrams 
and  plans,  he  returned  to  Kiyongo  and  called  at  the 
office  of  the  Mining  Department  which  was  under  the 
control,  care  and  keeping  of  a  lady  who  had  distin 
guished  herself  in  the  convention  by  taking  a  lively 
part  in  formulating  a  constitution  and  laws  for  the 
new  government.  On  approaching  this  lady,  he  found 
her  perfectly  at  ease  under  the  stress  of  business 
imposed  upon  that  high  office  during  this  progressive 
period.  The  gentleman  mentioned  was  an  English 
man  of  rank  and  culture;  as  an  engineer  and  manu 
facturer  of  steel,  he  had  few  superiors.  For  years  he 
had  been  in  charge  of  a  large  manufacturing  concern 
in  England,  where  the  workman  received  $2.00  per  day 
and  he  received  $5,000  per  year  for  carrying  a  cane, 
but  at  last  one  of  those  gold  panics,  so  common  to 
metal-money  countries,  came  along  and  the  work  shut 
down.  He  was  now  looking  for  a  chance  to  make  a 
few  millions,  just  as  thousands  of  men  have  done  in 
the  United  States  by  working  the  gold,  national  bank 
confidence-game. 

After  introducing  himself  in  due  form  he  presented 
his  report  on  the  mines  and  explained:  "There  is  no 
question  in  regard  to  the  vast  extent  of  the  deposit; 
the  ore  is  of  good  quality;  coal  is  near  at  hand;  water 
is  plenty  and  convenient;  in  short,  it  is  equal  to  the 
great  mines  of  Pennsylvania  or  Missouri  and  all  that  is 
needed  is  capital;  without  capital  these  properties  are 
valueless.  This  valuable  mineral  has  lain  for  ages 
buried  up  in  the  earth.  Miners  can  find  mines  but  it 
takes  capital  to  work  them.  Your  country  here  is 


AN     IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  22Q 

poor,  of  course,  because  it  is  new.  You  have  every 
thing  but  capital  and  everything  you  have  is  worthless 
until  you  have  capital  to  take  hold. 

"Our  country  is  old  and  although  it  is  but  an  island, 
it  is  the  richest  country  in  the  world;  in  fact,  all  the 
gold  which  has  been  taken  out  of  the  mines  in  the 
United  States  is  to-day  safely  stored  in  the  vaults  of 
the  Bank  of  England  and  if  moneyed  men  had  as  much 
confidence  in  this  Republic  as  they  have  in  the  United 
States,  you  would  see  the  gold  pour  into  this  country 
by  the  millions. 

"If  I  can  get  a  good  title  to  a  few  hundred  acres  of 
these  iron  and  coal  lands,  I  can  organize  a  company, 
issue  stock  and  with  my  indorsement,  I  can  sell  that 
stock  in  England  at  a  very  small  discount  and  can  put 
a  force  of  men  at  work  inside  of  a  year.  Your  land  is 
perfectly  valueless  now  and  by  giving  me  a  deed  it 
will  bring  millions  of  dollars  of  wealth  into  your 
country  and  will  do  more  to  secure  the  confidence  of 
these  great  moneyed  men,  than  anything  you  will  have 
an  opportunity  of  doing  for  ten  years  to  come.  Just 
think  of  having  your  steel  rails  made  at  home." 

The  lady  saw  at  once  that  he  had  not  posted  himself 
on  the  laws  of  the  Republic  and  said:  "Sir,  are  you 
not  aware  that  English  money  would  not  be  good  in 
this  country?" 

"Good,"  said  the  Englishman,  setting  himself  back 
on  his  dignity,  "gold  is  good  in  any  country;  its 
intrinsic  value  makes  it  good  the  world  over." 

"If  England  and  the  United  States  were  to  demone 
tize  gold  to-morrow,  what  would  it  then  be  worth?" 
was  asked. 

"O,"  said  the  gentleman,  "that  is  hardly  a  supposa- 
ble  case;  the  world  has  always  used  gold  for  money 
and  always  will;  it  is  believed  God  gave  us  gold  for 
money,  as  he  gave  us  coal  to  burn." 

"I  am  aware,"  said  the  lady,  "that  the  people  in 
by-gone  ages  have  believed  this;  they  have  had  many 
other  superstitions;  tor  instance,  they  believed  that 
God  appointed  their  rulers.  This  myth,  like  many 
others,  is  about  dead,  and  the  days  of  the  gold  myth 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

are  already  numbered.  It  is  true  that  as  far  as  we  can 
see  in  the  dark  and  bloody  past,  man  has  been  a  slave 
to  his  own  superstitions;  but  the  day  of  intellectual 
enlightenment  has  now  come,  and  the  people  themselves 
have  assumed  the  right  to  think. 

"One  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  this  Republic 
is  to  make  and  use  our  own  money;  we  sell  our  own 
gold  and  ivory  because  we  have  no  present  use  for 
either.  If  I  ever  encourage  any  people  to  borrow,  it 
will  not  be  money,  but  a  bite  to  eat;  and  so  far  as 
English  confidence  is  concerned  the  people  of  the 
United  States  can  take  it  all,  we  don't  want  it." 

She  then  handed  him  a  primer,  saying,  "here,  sir, 
is  one  of  our  law  books;  you  can  easily  understand  it 
and  you  will  not  need  a  lawyer.  It  contains  all  the 
laws  governing  the  organization  of  joint  stock  com 
panies. "  She  then  explained  that  if  he  wished  to 
organize  a  company  he  would  need  to  become  a  citizen 
and  then  the  Government  would  issue  all  the  money 
that  would  be  required. 

"But,"  said  he,  "I  am  told  that  you  have  been  issu 
ing  money  to  all  these  big  companies  that  are  operating 
so  extensively,  and  you  may  rest  assured  the  day  of 
inflation  will  come  some  day,  and  then  your  money 
will  not  be  worth  the  paper  it  is  printed  on." 

This  was  too  much  for  the  patriotic  little  woman; 
she  arose  slowlyfto  her  feet  and  the  color  came  to  her 
face  as  she  quietly,  but  firmly  said:  "Sir,  you  are 
ignorant  of  our  laws;  I  will  therefore  explain  to  you 
that  the  stock  which  you  propose  to  sell  in  London 
will  be  kept  in  the  treasury  here,  and  when  people  get 
more  money  than  they  need  in  business,  they  will 
invest  it  in  this  stock.  If  you  examine  our  laws,  you 
will  find  that  for  every  dollar  of  money  that  has  been 
issued,  a  dollar  of  stock  is  kept  in  the  treasury  in  ten 
dollar  shares,  so  until  that  stock  has  all  been  sold  an 
inflated  money  market  will  find  relief  in  the  purchase 
of  this  stock  and  when  the  stock  has  all  been  sold,  the 
money  will  all  be  back  in  the  treasury. 

"Thus  you  see  it  will  require  vast  expenditures  on 
the  part  of  the  Government  to  prevent  the  money  from 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  2$! 

continually  finding  its  way  back  to  the  treasury;  a 
stringency  therefore  is  the  thing  to  be  feared,  not 
inflation,  and  a  stringency  under  our  system  can  alway 
be  avoided  by  liberal  appropriation.  When  you  exam 
ine  our  monetary  system,  which  is  very  simple,  you 
will  find  that  while  the  Government  exists  the  value  of 
our  money  can  never  be  impaired.  The  land,  you  will 
learn,  is  always  public  domain;  not  one  foot  of  it  will 
ever  be  sold  to  any  man.  Government,  you  will  observe, 
lets  the  people  use  this  land  free  from  rent  or  taxes. 
The  money  is  also  public  money;  it  belongs  to  the 
Government  and  is  furnished  to  the  people  without 
interest.  Its  value  is  based  upon  the  land  which  is 
already  in  the  hands  of  the  people.  Do  you  suppose 
that  people  will  discredit  money  when  they  hold  the 
security  in  their  own  hands?  Never.  When  I  say  to 
you  that  Government  furnishes  money  to  the  people 
without  interest,  do  not  misconstrue  my  meaning. 

"The  Government  of  the  United  States  withdrew 
their  greenback  money  from  circulation  and  issued 
interest-bearing  bonds,  for  the  people  must  have  money; 
there  was  but  one  way  to  get  it,  and  that  was  to  bor 
row  it  and  pay  interest.  The  people  of  the  United 
States,  by  legislation,  are  compelled  to  pay  interest  to 
the  gold  power  and  the  bank  for  their  circulating 
medium  and  it  is  under  the  working  of  that  system 
that  its  Government  has  become  one  of  the  debtor 
countries  of  the  globe.  Please  do  not  understand  that 
we  scatter  our  money  broadcast  for  men  to  get  an  arm 
full,  but  the  reverse  of  this;  we  confine  all  transactions 
to  strictly  business  principles  and  are  as  careful  to 
guard  the  interests  of  the  country  in  handling  our 
money,  as  the  bankers  in  the  United  States  and  Eng 
land  are  to  guard  the  interests  of  the  combined  money 
power.  Never  a  dollar  of  money  goes  out  of  our  treasury 
until  it  is  earned  by  the  one  who  is  to  receive  it,  and 
then  it  bears  no  interest;  never  a  dollar  lays  idle  in  our 
vaults  while  men  are  wanting  work.  We  will  terrace 
the  hills  and  make  homes  for  men  upon  the  rugged 
mountain  sides,  ere  one  man  who  wants  work  shall  be 
out  of  employment. " 


232  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

"In  case  I  were  to  organize  a  company  for  the 
manufacture  of  steel  with  a  cash  capital  of  $3,000,000, 
what  salary  would  I  receive  for  management?"  asked 
Mr.  Davis,  for  that  was  the  gentleman's  name. 

"General  managers  of  companies,"  said  the  lady, 
"get  $1,500.00  a  year;  men  who  work  over  fire  and  hot 
metal  get  $5.00  a  day;  the  next  grade  of  workmen  get 
$4.00  and  common  hands  $3.50." 

"Then  you  put  a  gentleman  on  the  same  roll  with 
working  men?" 

"Certainly,"  said  the  lady,  "we  employ  none  but 
gentlemen  and  our  prices  are  fixed  by  law.  For  hand 
ling  this  Department  of  the  Government  I  receive 
$1,500.00  a  year.  If  I  were  to  resign  there  would  be 
many  equally  good,  if  not  better  qualified,  who  would 
apply  for  the  situation." 

The  gentleman  seemed  restless  and  rising  to  his  feet 
as  he  adjusted  his  glove,  said:  "I  would  consider 
myself  disgracing  a  long  line  of  noble  ancestors  were  I 
to  engage  on  such  terms.  If  I  could  get  a  title  to  the 
property  and  handle  it  to  my  own  profit  I  would  engage, 
otherwise  it  may  lay  there  till  Gabriel  blows  his 
trumpet. "  Thus  saying  he  left  the  room  with  a  lofty  air. 

That  afternoon  300  iron  workers  and  a  lot  of  car 
penters  and  masons  arrived  from  the  United  States. 
It  was  evident  from  their  appearance  that  they  all 
belonged  to  the  working  class;  many  had  families  and 
were  a  very  intelligent  company.  Every  man  had  a 
primer  in  his  pocket  and  had  evidently  studied  the  laws 
of  the  country  thoroughly;  ,  they  showed  by  every 
action,  however,  that  they  were  filled  with  anxiety. 
They  had  spent  their  money  to  get  to  the  country; 
they  were  workers  of  iron  and  not  a  smelter  was  running 
in  the  country.  Mr.  Jefferson  had  promised  plenty  of 
money.  So  far  everything  had  looked  all  right,  but  the 
important  question  now  was,  would  the  Government 
make  good  these  promises?  Everything  was  at  stake; 
they  had  come  thousands  of  miles  into  a  strange  land 
at  an  expense  of  a  million  dollars,  and  what  money 
they  had  left  would  hardly  build  comfortable  homes,  to 
say  nothing  of  smelting  works. 


AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  233 

Some  were  impatient  and  went  so  far  as  to  say  they 
believed  the  whole  thing  was  a  scheme  to  get  their 
passage  money.  They  had  not  long  to  wait,  however, 
for  a  deputation  of  three  men  was  chosen  to  visit  the 
office  at  once  and  learn  the  facts. 

The  three  men  chosen  were  representative  Amiercan 
mechanics.  On  entering  the  office  they  presented 
credentials  from  Mr.  Jefferson,  whereupon  they  were 
greeted  as  old  friends.  After  a  little  friendly  inter 
course  the  lady  gave  them  passes  over  the  road  for  as 
many  as  wished  and  desired  them  to  visit  the  mines 
and  report  as  to  what  would  be  needed..  "Then,"  said 
she,  "an  organization  can  be  formed  at  once."  She 
further  informed  them  that  in  anticipation  of  this,  Mr. 
Jefferson  had  shipped  some  months  ago,  a  complete 
outfit  of  machinery,  which  had  been  received  in  good 
order  and  would  be  in  readiness  when  required. 

The  result  of  this  interview  brought  happiness  to  the 
little  band  of  toilers. 

That  evening  the  lady  chief  of  the  Manufacturing 
Department  visited  the  ladies  of  the  party  and  wel 
comed  all  with  cheerful  greeting. 

The  anxiety  of  these  people  had  been  put  to  such  a 
strain  that  the  committee  determined  to  take  the  cars 
that  night;  in  the  morning  they  found  themselves  at 
the  camp.  Two  or  three  hours  were  all  that  were 
necessary  to  examine  .the  location,  so  in  the  evening 
they  returned  to  Kiyongo,  and  on  the  following  day  an 
organization  was  effected  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$1,000,000;  sub-treasury  established  at  the  mines,  the 
money  and  stock  forwarded  to  the  same;  the  money 
to  be  used  by  the  company  as  needed,  the  stock  kept  on 
sale.  After  this  work  went  on  lively.  The  Lumber  com 
pany  had  already  put  a  large  quantity  of  lumber  on  the 
ground  which  was  received  by  the  new  company,  giving 
a  check  for  the  same,  and  in  turn  sold  it  to  the  work 
men  to  build  houses.  The  town  site  had  been  elegantly 
laid  off  and  the  buildings  were  constructed  very  taste 
fully.  As  soon  as  this  was  done  grading  commenced, 
then  a  building  went  up,  the  machinery  was  put  in 
place  and  furnar*  arranged. 


234  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

By  this  time  merchants  had  erected  buildings  and 
brought  in  an  abundance  of  supplies.  Two  more  com 
panies  had  been  organized  to  do  business  in  the  same 
town;  one  to  manufacture  steel  rails,  the  other  to 
manafacture  tools  and  hardware  of  all  kinds.  In  less 
than  six  months  more  than  two  thousand  of  the  toiling 
masses  of  the  United  States  had  reached  the  place  and 
found  work.  All  working  men  were  receiving  good 
wages  and  a  city  was  springing  into  existence  like 
magic;  in  fact  the  place  was  enjoying  what  might  be 
called  a  veritable  boom. 

Brick  yards  were  running,  houses  going  up  on  every 
hand,  streets  were  being  graded  and  pipes  laid.  Every 
man  found  something  to  do  and  prosperity  reigned, 
but  no  gold  or  national  bank. 

A  sub-treasury  had  been  established  and  it  was  found 
that  many  of  the  toilers  invested  their  savings  in  stock; 
in  this  way  a  large  part  of  the  money  paid  out  by  the 
companies  found  its  way  back  into  the  treasury.  It  has 
since  been  learned  that  in  less  than  ten  years  the 
entire  stock  of  that  company  had  been  absorbed  by  the 
savings  of  the  people  of  the  town  and  county;  in  addi 
tion  to  this,  they  all  had  comfortable  homes. 

By  way  of  contrast  it  may  be  well  to  mention  here 
that  in  the  United  States  the  stock  would  have  been 
taken  to  some  great  money  center,  sold  at  a  discount, 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  people,  then  a  savings  bank 
established,  run  until  its  coffers  were  full,  then  burst, 
but  finally  pay  off  a  little  gold  and  a  good  deal  of 
confidence;  then  make  a  big  blow  in  the  newspapers, 
start  up  again  and  play  the  same  old  game;  then,  in 
order  to  make  the  thing  more  interesting,  reduce  the 
wages  and  have  a  strike  and  lock-out;  import  pauper 
labor,  take  mortgage  on  homes  while  the  men  are  idle, 
and  thus  scoop  the  town. 

This  is  no  calamity-howl;  it  is  only  what  every 
American  has  seen  over  and  over  again  and  knows  it 
to  be  a  fact.  It  is  what  some  call  legalized  robbery; 
others  call  it  legitimate  business  and  shrewd  financier 
ing.  Call  it  what  you  will  the  result  is  just  the  same. 
The  banker  gets  rich  and  toilers  go  hungry. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

WE  must  now  drop  this  historical  sketch  to  look 
after  the  gold  men,  or  bank  defaulters,  Coy  and 
Saunders.  They  had  built  themselves  a  cabin,  buried 
their  gold  under  the  floor,  and  loafed  about  town  while 
a  city  grew  up  around  them.  Not  half  a  dozen  blocks 
from  their  door  three  great  manufacturing  concerns  had 
been  started  and  were  running  full  blast.  One  of  these 
made  wagons,  another  plows  and  the  third  manu 
factured  fire-arms  for  the  Government,  to  be  stored 
for  use  in  case  of  emergency.  These  companies  were 
all  run  on  the  joint  stock  plan  and  employed  2,000 
men.  All  this  without  gold  and  not  a  millionaire  in 
the  place. 

Every  lot  about  them  had  been  built  upon  and  they 
were  now  in  the  heart  of  a  city.  They  could  have  sold 
their  gold,  invested  the  money  in  stock  and  their  yearly 
dividend  would  have  been  over  $5,000  each.  But  this 
was  so  far  short  of  their  expectations  that  they  treated 
it  with  contempt,  and  were  content  to  sell  a  few  thou 
sand  dollars'  worth  of  gold,  erect  a  stone  building, 
with  secret  rooms  and  vaults  that  would  have  been 
suitable  for  either  a  burglar  or  a  banker.  They  then 
decided  to  wait  for  inflation  or  some  other  imaginary 
ghost  to  come  along  and  give  them  a  chance,  as  Coy 
said,  to  get  in  their  work. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Mr.  Baxter  undertook  the 
survey  of  the  railroad,  and  being  by  nature  a  nerv 
ous  and  industrious  sort  of  man,  he  soon  became 
interested  in  the  work,  which  he  pushed  without 
interruption. 

When  immigrants  arrived  and  the  work  of  construe- 


236  AM  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

tion  commenced  at  Summerville,  other  engineers  took 
the  field;  Mr.  Baxter  then  moved  on  to  Kiyongo  and 
continued  in  the  work  until  the  railroad  reached  the 
mines. 

About  this  time  Coy  and  Saunders  concluded  to  go 
to  the  mines,  and  Baxter  accompanied  them.  They 
were  not  long  in  finding  gold,  and  were  soon  located 
on  a  small  mountain  creek;  a  cabin  was  the  first  thing 
constructed,  then  a  ditch  was  dug  to  bring  water  on  the 
bar;  a  mine  was  then  opened  which  proved  to  be  a 
good  one.  They  tried  to  hire  natives,  but  they  were 
superstitious,  and  because  the  men  had  opposed  their 
chief,  in  the  convention  a  few  years  before,  they  had 
the  idea  that  they  represented  the  evil  spirit,  and  even 
the  men  who  assisted  Baxter  in  the  survey,  would  not 
work  for  them  now;  they  thought  some  of  going  after 
white  men,  but  if  they  did,  it  might  be  the  means  of 
bringing  a  crowd  into  the  gulch  and  they  would  lose  a 
part  of  their  ground.  Stimulated  by  a  greed  for  gold 
and  the  hope  of  some  day  striking  an  inexhaustable 
pile,  they  commenced  operations. 

Not  one  in  the  crowd  had  ever  worked  before,  but 
the  hope  of  finding  a  million  dollars  in  a  pile,  stimu 
lated  them  ;  after  working  hard  for  two  years,  under 
most  extraordinary  circumstances,  they  weighed  their 
gold  and  found  they  had  $100,000,  a  little  more  than 
$30,000  each,  and  they  began  to  consider. 

"Well, "  said  Coy,  "you  can  all  do  as,  you  please,  but 
for  my  part,  I  am  done  with  the  work.  Look  at  the 
situation;  we  found  an  enormously  rich  gold  mine, 
worked  it  in  the  best  possible  manner,  have  done  all 
our  own  work,  put  in  long  hours  and  what  have  we 
made?  Thirty- three  thousand  apiece!  Only  yesterday 
I  saw  an  account  of  J.  Gould  and  Jim  Fisk  having 
gone  from  nothing  up  into  the  millions  in  about  the 
same  time,  and  they  didn't  work  as  we  have,  either, 
what  is  the  use  to  work?  We  have  been  wearing  our 
selves  out  like  a  lot  of  chumps;  and  while  we  have 
been  here  millions  of  dollars  have  been  handled  by 
this  Government  and  everybody  is  getting  a  whack  at 
it  but  us;  we  are  a  regular  set  oi  chumps. " 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  237 

"That  is  a  fact,"  said  Saunders,  "I  have  been  think 
ing  the  matter  all  over  and  have  made  up  my  mind  to 
make  you,  gentlemen,  a  proposition." 

"Hold  on,"  said  Baxter,  "I  object  to  the  term  gen 
tlemen,  on  general  principles.  I  don't  think  any  man 
can  be  a  gentleman  and  work  as  we  have;  until  we  do 
something,  that  we  may  be  distinguished  from  this 
ignorant  herd,  I  object  to  the  name." 

"I  believe  you  are  about  right  on  that  point,"  said 
Saunders,  "but  the  proposition  that  I  was  about  to 
make  is,  that  we  sell  this  claim  for  what  we  can  get, 
return  to  Kiyongo,  get  such  books  as  seem  necessary, 
and  open  an  office  of  some  kind.  Of  course  there  is 
no  chance  to  make  any  money  at  present;  the  Govern 
ment  is  so  thoroughly  organized  that  everything  is 
limited,  and  if  it  is  allowed  to  run  for  ten  years  more, 
these  principles  of  inheritance  limit  will  become  so 
thoroughly  fixed  in  the  minds  of  the  people  that  all  the 
gold  in  Christendom  would  not  move  them;  beside, 
gold  surely  has  lost  its  power." 

"Yes,"  said  Baxter,  "I  have  learned  one  thing  about 
gold;  I  used  to  think  gold  was  King  on  account  of  its 
intrinsic  value,  but  I  find  it  all  depends  upon  the  laws. 
If  the  laws  of  the  United  States  were  to  demonetize 
gold  to-morrow  it  would  be  several  thousand  dollars 
out  of  our  pockets;  and  if  England  should  demonetize 
the  next  day  we  would  not  have  enough  to  get  home  on. " 

"Yes,"  said  Saunders,  "but  there  is  no  danger  of 
that;  nothing  short  of  revolutions  would  demonetize 
gold  in  the  United  States.  The  banks  there  are  too 
strong.  If  John  Sherman  had  been  at  the  convention 
here  in  place  of  Jefferson,  and  some  of  his  friends  in 
place  of  Bundy  and  Lincoln,  we  would  have  had  banks 
all  over  this  country  now;  as  it  is  we  seem  to  have  no 
chance;  a  worse  lot  of  fanatics,  I  never  saw. 

"The  conditions  here  now  are  of  the  worst  possible 
character;  there  never  was  a  country  where  there  was 
so  much  money  in  general  circulation  as  here.  But 
when  you  try  to  get  a  corner  on  it,  you  find  yourself 
hampered  in  every  conceivable  way. 

"If  you  were  to  succeed  in  getting  a  corner  on  money 


238  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

and  cut  the  price  of  everything  down,  and  start  the  cry 
of  over-production,  what  is  there  to  hinder  Congress 
from  coming  together,  issuing  more  money  to  take  the 
place  of  that  which  you  have  in  your  vaults,  and  start 
men  to  grading  wagon  roads  all  over  the  country?  You 
see  people  would  go  to  work  and  earn  money  and  their 
surplus  production  could  lay  in  the  warehouse  and  hurt 
no  one;  then  people  would  learn  that  over-production 
is  only  a  ghost;  unless  money  is  based  on  some  sub 
stance  like  gold,  you  can  have  no  over-production,  you 
can  have  no  interest,  you  can  have  no  mortgage,  you 
can  have  no  banks,  you  can  have  no  millionaires,  you 
can  have  no  slaves. 

"When  you  strike  down  gold  you  destroy  all  inherent 
right  and  the  possibility  of  perpetuating  our  great 
monetary  dynasties  will  cease  to  exist.  In  such  a  state 
of  things  there  will  be  but  two  ways  of  gaining  honor, 
power  and  distinction.  The  first  would  be  intellectual 
superiority;  this  would  require  a  life  time  of  hard  study 
and  you  would  have  no  time  to  display  your  power  as 
a  prince  of  wealth.  The  next,  and  only  means  that  I 
can  see,  would  be  to  excel  in  helping  others,  though 
often  you  would  meet  with  unthankfulness,  yet  your 
name  would  go  down  to  history  all  right. 

"These  are  both  hard  roads  to  travel.  If  we  wish 
to  succeed  we  must  protect  the  wealthy  class,  as  their 
power  lies  in  controlling  the  money  in  the  world, 
through  the  limited  amount  in  existence,  and  as  there 
is  but  one  way  of  limiting  money,  and  that  is  to  insist 
on  its  being  made  of  a  limited  product,  like  gold,  we 
must  stay  with  the  gold  power.  If  we  can  establish  a 
gold  standard  here,  the  money  power  of  the  world  will 
assist  us;  as  we  dare  not  go  to  any  other  country  with 
our  gold,  we  must  destroy  this  Government  and  estab 
lish  one  based  on  gold;  we  may  even  yet  have  our 
chains  of  national  banks  and  make  these  fanatical 
people  bow  to  our  dictum. " 

"I  only  see  one  drawback  to  that,"  said  Baxter,  "and 
that  is  the  mines;  they  will  turn  off  gold  so  fast  that 
it  will  be  hard  to  control  the  currency  even  then." 

"Not  at  all,"  said  Coy,  "look  at  the  United    States. 


AN     IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  23$ 

They  have  the  richest  gold  mines  in  the  world;  where 
is  the  gold  to-day?  Ail  in  the  vaults,  and  the  people 
are  not  only  paying  interest  to  the  money  power  on  all 
the  money  they  use,  but  are  paying  an  annual  interest 
on  five  times  that  amount  of  other  debts  and  selling 
wheat  at  fifty  cents  a  bushel  to  pay  it.  No,  no  I  have 
no  apprehension  of  danger  from  these  mines;  all  I  ask 
is  for  this  Government  to  establish  a  gold  standard 
and  all  the  rest  will  be  easy  enough.  Of  course  we 
can't  make  it  all;  we  will  have  to  stand  in  with  Eag- 
land's  money  lords,  as  a  few  men  stood  in  with  them 
and  became  millionaires  through  their  money  schemes 
in  the  United  States. " 

"I  agree  with  you  perfectly,"  said  Saunders,  "we 
must  have  these  English  syndicates  at  our  backs;  no 
doubt  but  they  will  get  away  with  the  lion's  share,  yet 
they  cannot  get  along  without  us  any  more  than  we 
can  without  them.  When  the  power  is  once  established, 
we  shall  be  independent.  The  harder  they  press  us 
the  harder  we  shall  press  the  people.  But  I  must 
return  to  my  proposition;  the  two  great  forces  through 
which  the  wealth  of  the  United  States  has  been  so 
thoroughly  concentrated  in  a  few  years,  are  the  two 
great  political  parties.  What  we  want  here  is  two 
great  parties;  so  far  the  law  has  discouraged  such 
organizations,  but  there  is  really  no  statute  law  against 
it;  all  it  wants  is  a  few  good  organizers  and  I  believe 
it  can  soon  be  effected. 

"The  two  parties  should  be  called  Democratic  and 
Republican.  Thus  we  would  get  the  benefit  of  their 
old  prejudices.  We  can  do  nothing  without  having 
the  people  organized  and  we  must  also  have  them 
divided;  we  must  get  up  strife  of  some  kind.  The 
tariff  dodge  has  been  used  quite  successfully  in  the 
United  States  and  it  might  work  here;  a  rag-baby  song 
too  would  help  out. " 

<rYes. "  said  Baxter,  "there  is  no  doubting  the  im 
portance  of  organization,  but  our  people  are  mostly 
American  and  have  been  humbuged  so  much  by  political 
parties  and  shysters  that  I  am  not  astonished  at  the 
unpopularity  of  such  organizations.  They  will  hardly 


240  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

talk  of  such  a  thing.  When  they  get  here,  from  under 
the  influence  of  party  and  a  subsidized  press,  they  look 
back,  see  how  that  country  has  been  robbed,  and  it 
makes  them  sick. 

"We  might  possibly  organize  a  secret  society  and 
afterward  drift  it  into  politics;  but  even  that  I  am 
afraid  would  be  difficult.  They  are  all  doing  so  much 
better  than  they  ever  did  before  that  even  this  might 
fail.  Things,  too,  are  growing  constantly  worse.  I  see 
by  the  late  papers  that  over  half  of  the  railroad  stock 
has  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  people  already,  and 
there  are  probably  very  few  persons  who  own  over 
$10,000  worth;  when  you  see  them  all  buying  railroad 
stock,  even  to  the  hired  girls,  it  is  a  poor  time  to  get 
any  marked  changes  in  the  Government." 

"O,  I  don't  know  about  that,  "said  Coy,  "John  Sher 
man  got  the  contraction  act  through  Congress  when 
there  was  no  possible  excuse  for  it  and  the  people  were 
in  the  very  height  of  prosperity. " 

"That  is  so,"  said  Saunders,  "but  you  must  remem 
ber  they  had  no  initiative  then;  the  Sherman  act 
worked  all  right  in  the  United  States,  but  it  won't 
do  here. " 

"Let  me  offer  a  suggestion,"  said  Baxter.  "Suppose 
we  go  to  the  coast,  to  Summerville  or  some  other  good 
location,  buy  property  and  go  into  business;  trade  there 
is  brisk.  New  manufacturing  plants  are  constantly 
being  started  all  over  the  country  and  business  every 
where  is  booming,  I  see  there  is  now  a  ship  building 
company  at  Summerville  that  works  more  men  than 
any  other  yard  in  the  world.  The  navigation  company 
that  was  organized  when  we  were  there,  now  has  thirty- 
six  ocean  and  ten  river  steamers;  the  stock  of  that 
company,  like  the  railroad  stock,  is  now  largely  in  the 
hands  of  the  people. 

"Money  was  never  more  plentiful  in  any  country  than 
it  is  here  and  that  accounts  for  so  few  people  coming 
to  these  mines.  Of  course  it  is  all  rag  money,  but  we 
can  sell  our  gold,  and  if  other  people  can  get  along 
with  it,  I  don't  see  why  we  can't,  and  then  mercantile 
business  is  always  considered  respectable." 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  24! 

"That  is  all  right,"  said  Coy,  "but  what  is  a  mer 
chant?  I  have  seen  too  many  merchants  beg  favors  of 
bankers  to  think  of  that,  and  I  am  happy  to  say  that 
my  ambition  carries  my  thoughts  a  little  higher  than 
waiting  on  the  public.  I  would  prefer  having  it  just 
the  other  way;  have  them  wait  on  me.  The  money 
power  controls  the  world.  A  banker  makes  all  men 
bow  to  his  mandate.  Gold  is  the  foundation  of  the 
whole  system  and  to  secure  enough  of  the  precious 
metal  to  give  me  a  start,  I  sacrificed  ever}  thing — love, 
honor,  family,  friends,  everything  for  gold — and  am  I 
now,  after  outwitting  the  Nabobs  of  earth,  to  be  baffled 
by  a  lot  of  Kansas  fanatics?  I  never,  never  will  sub 
mit.  I  know  that  to  overthrow  this  Government  all 
the  gold  power  of  the  earth  will  be  at  my  back,  and  I 
will  murder  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  Capi 
tol  but  that  I  will  place  myself  in  a  position  to  exer 
cise  the  power  that  belongs  to  this  batch  of  gold. 

"They  have  destroyed  the  whole  system  of  banking 
by  their  fanatic  legislation;  I  will  fight  it  and  stay  with 
the  contest  until  I  have  laws  in  my  favor;  destroy  the 
Government  or  it  destroys  me.  I  hope  I  may  never 
be  forced  into  bloodshed,  but  the  fundamental  princi 
ples  of  this  government  must  be  changed;  we  should 
have  gone  at  it  long  ago  for  I  see  it  has  grown  stronger 
and  stronger,  day  by  day.  I  thought  inflation  would 
destroy  the  system  long  before  this,  but  I  see  the  money 
comes  back  into  the  treasury  through  the  sale  of  stock 
faster  than  it  goes  out  and  in  order  to  keep  the  money 
in  circulation,  Government  has  been  compelled  to  raise 
the  wages  all  over  the  country.  I  learn  they  tried  first 
to  start  public  work  but  found  the  men  were  all  em 
ployed,  so  the  last  Congress  was  forced  to  raise  wages 
and  that  raised  the  price  of  everything.  The  natural 
result  of  this  constant  employment  of  every  man  in  the 
country  is,  that  our  exports  exceed  our  imports  and  all 
the  gold  that  comes  from  the  mines  and  is  brought  into 
the  country  by  immigration,  goes  into  the  treasury  and 
then  it  does  no  one  any  good. 

"I  see  by  the  last  paper  they  are  about  passing  a 
bill  to  come  before  the  people  at  the  coming  election, 


242  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

to  ship  the  gold  all  to  the  United  States  and  exchange 
it  for  bonds,  railroad  stock  or  other  good  security. 
The  excuse  for  this  law  being  the  possibility  of  other 
Governments  demonetizing  gold;  and  in  that  case  it 
would  become  almost  worthless.  I  apprehend  no  dan 
ger  of  this;  nothing  short  of  a  revolution  could  do  it, 
for  the  gold  power  is  too  strong.  They  control  every 
government  on  earth  to-day,  but  this.  If  we  go  at  it 
right  we  can  eventually  have  them  controlling  this, 
and  then  our  gold  will  have  some  value.  I  hate  a 
country  that  is  doing  business  with  rags." 

Saunders  then  said,  "I  believe  that  a  party  can  be 
started  on  the  whiskey  question.  I  have  noticed  that 
whiskey  has  been  a  prominent  factor  in  American 
politics." 

"Yes,"  said  Baxter,  "but  there  they  have  us  hedged 
iri  again.  In  the  United  States  they  have  a  genteel 
saloon-keeper  on  every  corner,  with  barrels  of  whiskey, 
boxes  of  cigars,  bottles  of  rum  and  a  well  filled  purse 
to  control  votes.  Here  liquor  is  sold  all  over  the 
country  by  the  same  firm;  their  business  houses  are  in 
the  most  public  place  that  can  be  found,  with  no 
back  door,  and  is  only  kept  open  six  hours  in  a  day, 
and  they  sell  only  by  the  quart  or  gallon.  They  have 
here  halls  of  pleasure  which  take  the  place  of  saloons; 
everybody  visits  them  and  they  are  a  grand  institution; 
with  these  great  halls,  and  women  voting  there  is  no 
use  to  talk  about  making  a  fight  on  whiskey. " 

"That  is  all  true,"  said  Coy,  "but  we  can  look  into 
the  matter  a  little  and  if  there  is  no  show,  then  I  am 
in  for  a  revolution.  Get  together  a  few  good  men, 
burn  the  capitol,  destroy  all  the  papers,  seize  the  arse 
nal  and  prevent  the  people  from  getting  arms,  organize 
a  new  government,  compel  every  man  belonging  to  the 
old  to  adopt  and  swear  allegiance  to  the  new;  hang 
every  man  that  refuses,  and  give  an  enormous  salary 
to  every  man  who  submits. 

"Make  but  few  radical  changes  at  first;  throttle  the 
press  by  buying  up  the  editor,  tell  the  people  that  you 
know  what  you  are  doing  is  wrong,  but  you  are  doing 
it  to  prevent  something  worse.  (That  is  what  John 


AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  24$ 

Sherman  told  the  people  about  the  Sherman  law.) 

"Among  the  most  important  things  to  be  eliminated 
from  the  constitution  and  laws,  is  woman  suffrage; 
we  can  never  control  their  votes  with  whiskey.  We 
must  have  saloons  to  control  votes  and  we  can  never 
have  them  established  here  until  we  drive  woman  from 
the  polls.  After  this  is  done  we  must  do  away  with 
paper  money;  denounce  it  as  a  rag-baby  failure  and 
buy  or  borrow  all  the  gold,  then  have  it  made  legal 
tender,  and  the  measure  of  all  values.  Abolish  the 
present  whiskey  laws  and  establish  fashionable  saloons; 
then  give  us  national  banks,  English  land  and  inheri 
tance  laws,  and  if  we  don't  have  half  the  people  pay 
ing  us  rent  and  interest  inside  of  ten  years,  then 
history  is  not  worth  reading.  Look  at  what  has  been 
done  in  the  United  States  in  the  last  fifteen  years. " 

"This  would  all  look  fine  on  paper,"  said  Baxter, 
"but  it  would  take  one  thousand  well  armed  men  in 
the  capitol  to  carry  out  this  program  and  I  don't  think 
we  could  get  fifty." 

Mr.  Saunders  now  said:  "No  matter  what  we  do  in 
the  way  of  enthroning  gold,  we  would  have  to  depend 
upon  outside  force;  the  vast  amount  of  machinery 
coming  into  use  in  the  United  States  and  Britain, 
together  with  scarcity  of  money,  has  thrown  millions 
of  men  out  of  work.  Many  of  them  are  to-day  starv 
ing;  so  according  to  English- American  logic  there  is 
clearly  an  over-production  of  men.  If  we  get  the  gold 
power  at  our  backs,  they  can  bring  a  body  of  men  here 
as  immigrants  and  when  enough  have  arrived  to  do  the 
work,  we  will  arm  and  turn  them  loose.  I  believe  the 
plan  can  be  carried  out,  but  we  must  get  the  banks 
and  gold  power  at  our  backs." 

This  kind  of  talk  was  too  much  for  Baxter  and  he 
replied:  "Now  I  want  to  tell  you,  gentlemen,  that  I 
have  watched  the  work  of  the  gold  power  for  years;  I 
know  its  history  well  and  I  want  to  say  to  you  that 
when  it  comes  to  fight  you  need  not  count  on  the 
bankers;  they  never  will  risk  a  dollar  on  a  fight,  unless 
they  know  before  hand  just  how  it  is  going  to  end. 
If  they  could  get  the  British  Government  or  any  other 


244  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC 

into  it  they  would.  You  can  bet  everything  you  have, 
they  will  always  be  playing  on  a  dead  sure  thing. 
Gold  has  always  been  a  power,  but  it  has  always  stood 
behind  the  throne.  As  a  dog  is  to  his  master,  so  the 
Government  is  to  this  great  power.  The  dog  makes 
all  the  noise  and  does  all  the  fighting;  the  master  looks 
on  and  makes  all  he  can  out  of  it;  if  his  dog  gets 
licked  he  stands  in  with  the  other  dog.  Bankers  as  a 
rule  are  not  men,  they  are  monstrosities,  a  kind  of 
half  breed,  as  it  were,  between  the  devil  and  a  hog. 
Now,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  honesty  has  never  hurt 
me  and  I  believe  that  I  have  some  of  the  devil's  and  a 
good  share  of  the  hog's  qualities  about  me;  enough  to 
make  a  very  good  banker. 

"We  have  gold  here  to  commence  with  and  if  we 
could  get  the  same  legislation  that  the  gold  mer  have 
in  the  United  States,  I  see  no  reason  why  we  should 
not  gather  the  property  of  the  country  together  just  as 
easy  as  they  did  there;  in  fact,  if  we  could  have  gold 
made  the  only  legal  tender,  we  would  have  a  com 
mencement  and  it  would  not  take  long  to  get  up  some 
scheme  to  have  bonds  issued.  I  think  we  can  all  agree 
upon  this,  that  to  make  gold  the  only  legal  tender  and 
measure  of  all  values  is  the  most  important  for  a  start, 
the  opening  wedge  as  you  may  say,  and  when  you  get 
this  the  other  things  will  naturally  follow.  Now  to 
effect  this  we  must  in  some  way  destroy  the  paper 
money,  or  at  least  destroy  its  usefulness  and  I  think 
that  1  have  hit  upon  a  plan." 

"Good,"  said  the  other  two,  clapping    their    hands. 

Mr.  Baxter  then  continued:  "My  proposition  would 
be  to  use  strategy  rather  than  force;  it  is  always  safest 
and  more  in  keeping  with  the  general  working  of  the 
gold  power.  Our  first  object  will  be  to  destroy  the 
usefulness  of  government  money  to  make  room  for  our 
gold  to  circulate. 

"Under  our  present  constitution  and  government 
policy,  together  with  the  satisfactory  working  of  the 
same,  it  would  be  impossible  to  have  this  done  by 
legislation  as  it  was  in  the  case  of  greenbacks  in  the 
United  States.  I  would  therefore  suggest  that  we 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  245 

adopt  the  same  method  used  by  the  gold  men  of 
Britain  to  destroy  the  continental  money  of  the  colo 
nies  during  the  Revolutionary  war. 

"My  plan  would  be  this,  take  a  copy  of  the  great 
register  of  each  county,  also  a  sample  of  the  different 
issues  of  money,  go  to  London,  obtain  an  interview 
with  some  of  the  leading  bankers,  make  a  careful  and 
correct  statement  of  the  condition  of  things  here;  I 
think  perhaps  it  would  be  a  good  plan  to  go  immedi 
ately  after  the  shipment  of  gold  by  the  Government, 
that  is  if  the  shipment  is  made  soon  which  it  probably 
will  be.  That  they  have  these  bills  counterfeited  in 
the  best  possible  manner,  then  send  through  the  mails 
from  $100  to  $500  of  these  counterfeit  bills  to  each 
voter.  I  tell  you  it  will  knock  this  money  higher  than 
a  kite.  We  must  have  a  few  of  the  leading  journals 
bought  up — no  matter  what  it  costs — to  raise  the  cry 
of  rag-baby,  fiat  money  failure,  honest  dollar,  sound 
money  and  such  gags  as  we  may  be  able  to  invent 
that  will  answer  for  a  hobby.  This  plan  to  me  looks 
feasible  and  as  a  similar  scheme  proved  a  success  in 
the  past  so  I  have  all  confidence  in  it  now." 

It  seemed  to  be  the  best  plan  yet  offered  and  it  was 
therefore  agreed  that  they  should  sell,  then  return  to 
Kiyongo.  Then  they  talked  the  matter  over  as  to  how 
they  would  manage  with  their  gold;  they  had  brought 
it  all  with  them  to  the  mines,  so  they  now  had  $300,000 
in  all,  and  since  the  immigration  had  come  in  they 
hardly  knew  what  to  do  with  it.  They  were  afraid  to 
sell  it  to  the  Government  because  they  despised  it, 
besides  would  have  to  take  the  money  they  were  trying 
to  destroy;  $200,000  of  their  gold  was  in  coin  and  if 
sold  was  liable  to  betray  them;  so  they  had  no  end  of 
trouble.  It  was  finally  decided  to  box  it  up  and  remove 
it  to  their  building  in  Kiyongo  and  place  it  in  the 
vaults  they  had  so  carefully  constructed  some  years 
before. 

In  a  few  weeks  after  this  they  sold  out  the  mines  and 
returned  to  their  old  home  in  Kiyongo.  At  the  next 
election  the  people  decided  by  their  vote  that  all  gold 


AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

in  the  treasury  be  shipped  to  the  United  States  and 
then  converted  into  bonds  or  other  securities. 

This  was  considered  a  favorable  time  to  carry  out 
Mr.  Baxter's  proposition,  so  all  things  being  arranged, 
he  took  passage  for  Liverpool,  on  board  of  one  of  the 
finest  steamers  that  had  been  built  at  Summerville  by 
the  ship  building  company  of  that  place,  and  now 
owned  by  the  steam  navigation  company  of  the  young 
Republic. 

Although  Mr.  Baxter  had  been  very  quiet  about  his 
movements  as  will  be  seen,  he  had  not  been  entirely 
unnoticed.  Secretary  Lincoln  and  President  Bundy 
had  long  since  filed  with  the  Government  detective 
organization,  which  had  an  agent  in  every  town  and 
county  throughout  the  country,  a  written  statement  of 
.all  that  was  known  about  these  men.  The  Department 
had  therefore  kept  them  under  constant  surveillance 
since  the  formation  of  the  Government,  and  not  one 
month  had  passed  without  a  report  of  their  movements. 
It  was  therefore  not  at  all  strange  that  three  detectives 
took  passage  on  the  same  steamer. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

WE  will  now  for  a  short  time  draw  the  attention  of 
the  reader  to  the  progress  and  prosperity  of  the 
country  during  the  next  few  years  after  the  completion 
of  the  road  to  the  mines.  Americans  will  remember 
the  wonderful  degree  of  prosperity  existing  in  the 
United  States  after  the  late  war,  while  greenbacks  were 
in  circulation.  How  new  railroads  were  built,  new 
counties  settled;  towns  and  settlements  taking  the 
place  of  the  Indian  and  buffalo. 

Political  tricksters  and  gold  gambling  statesmen 
would,  no  doubt,  attribute  this  to  some  peculiar  effect 
the  war  had  upon  the  country;  but  we  notice  that  in 
all  cases  where  money  is  turned  loose  among  the  peo 
ple  it  makes  lively  times;  for  instance,  the  new  dis 
covery  of  rich  placer  mines  or  some  great  Government 
swindle  where  immense  tracts  of  land  have  been  given 
to  private  corporations,  and  to  sugar-coat  the  dose  and 
make  the  transaction  look  plausible,  large  sums  of 
money  have  been  turned  loose  through  the  building  of 
a  railroad  or  other  public  works. 

Those  who  recognize  the  fact  that  money  is  not  a 
commodity  of  value,  like  a  book  account,  but  is  in 
itself  valueless;  that  it  is  only  a  means,  a  method,  a 
tool  as  it  were,  that  has  no  value  except  where  it  can 
be  used  in  actual  transactions  of  business  or  to  accom 
plish  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  designed;  that  as 
you  take  the  tool  from  the  workman  it  makes  him 
helpless,  so  when  you  withdraw  money  from  its  usual 
channels  of  circulation  the  people  are  paralyzed,  small 
enterprises  are  wrecked,  panic  ensues  and  millionaires 
take  to  themselves  the  shattered  fragments.  Yes,  those* 
who  realize  all  these  facts,  and  already  know  that  thia 
Republic  recognized  money,  not  as  a  thing  of 


248  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

intrinsic  value  but  on  the  contrary  only  as  a  means,  a 
method,  a  tool  and  supplied  it  to  the  people  through 
a  regular  business  system,  that  not  only  sent  it  out 
among  the  people,  but  also  brought  it  back  into  the 
treasury,  and  as  the  heart  circulates  the  blood  through 
the  human  system,  so  the  treasury  through  its  carefully 
arranged  business  methods,  forced  the  circulating 
medium  into  every  extremity,  into  every  nook  and 
corner,  there  to  do  its  work  and  in  due  time  return 
only  to  be  sent  out  again.  The  great  trouble  with  the 
United  States  government  is  that  its  heart  has  been 
dragged  into  Wall  Street  and  sometimes  fails  to  throb. 
Again  I  repeat  that  those  who  recognize  all  these 
things  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn  of  the  improved 
conditions  among  these  people. 

It  will  be  remembered  that,  like  the  United  States 
our  new  Republic  had  a  vast  continent  of  farming  land 
as  rich  in  quality  as  it  was  vast  in  extent.  Thousands 
of  miles  of  mineral  lands  containing  gold,  silver,  cop 
per,  lead,  zinc,  nickel,  coal,  iron  and  many  other  valu 
able  minerals. 

To  go  forth  and  subdue  this  great  continent  was  the 
mission  of  these  people.  The  wealth  of  a  great  conti 
nent  was  spread  out  before  them;  cities,  railroads, 
bridges,  wagon  roads  and  homes  were  to  be  built  and 
these  people  would  have  it  to  do.  "This  country  now, " 
said  one,  "belongs  to  us  all;  shall  it  remain  ours,  shall 
the  improvements  that  are  made  belong  to  those  who 
make  them,  or  shall  they  belong  to  an  aristocracy  of 
idlers,  that  grow  and  fatten  upon  the  body  politic, 
as  vermin  grow  and  fatten  upon  the  unclean  human 
form?"  These  are  illustrative  facts  that  have  been 
proved  for  ages,  while  the  human  family  groaned  and 
suffered  under  evils  not  by  nature  given,  but  by  their 
own  ignorance.  We  are  now  brought  face  to  face  with 
the  great  question  and  it  must  find  a  solution  in  our 
new  government.  Immigration  had  been  coming  into 
the  country  in  one  continual  stream;  the  country 
seemed  to  differ  from  the  United  States  in  but  one 
thing,  its  laws  and  business  or  financial  management. 

It  had  the  same  great  rivers,  the  same  great  cotton 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  249 

and  fruit  country,  also  its  hog  and  corn  country;  the 
same  great  ranges,  rich  gold,  silver  and  other  mines; 
great  forests,  in  fact  it  had  all  the  resources  necessary 
to  maintain  a  great  and  powerful  nation,  without  run 
ning  in  debt  or  selling  their  lands  to  foreign  syndicates. 
All  it  lacked  was  men  and  money;  these  two  obstacles 
were  overcome  by  immigration  and  rational  government. 

During  the  time  required  to  construct  a  road  to  the 
mines,  immigration  had  been  pouring  in  by  ship  loads; 
as  was  the  case  in  the  United  States  up  to  the  time 
that  great  syndicates  were  formed  and  obtained  control 
of  the  national  finances,  the  immigration  was  of  the 
most  intelligent,  honest  and  industrious  classes. 

When  these  people  were  once  safely  located  beyond 
the  reach  of  monetary  oppression,  they  turned  the 
searchlight  of  reason  upon  the  science  of  government 
and  soon  discovered  many  a  fact  that  our  wise  states 
men  had  labored  hard  to  cover  up. 

After  great  corporations  had  been  formed  in  the 
United  States  they,  in  order  to  degrade  labor,  increase 
their  own  profits  and  establish  an  aristocracy,  imported 
and  encouraged  the  importation  of  Chinese  and  other 
laborers  of  the  very  lowest  classes.  What  followed 
this  wholesale  importation  of  pauper  labor,  by  these 
corporations  is  too  well  known  to  need  comment.  We 
are  happy  to  record  that  the  evils  were  of  a  character 
not  known  in  our  new  Republic. 

The  immigrants  to  this  new  country  were  generally 
poor,  so  far  as  worldly  goods  were  concerned,  but  they 
had  a  whole  continent  spread  before  them;  they  were 
rich  in  brains,  muscles  and  determination,  and  came 
of  their  own  accord;  all  they  wanted  was  a  favorable 
opportunity  and  it  was  to  give  them  this  that  the 
Government  was  formed. 

As  money  and  men  were  the  only  things  necessary 
in  a  country  like  this,  to  build  cities,  railroads,  canals, 
bridges,  wagon  roads,  in  fact  manufacture  and  raise 
everything  that  is  necessary  for  man's  comfort  and 
happiness,  it  was  decided  to  encourage  immigration. 

It  is  conceded  by  all  that  Government  alone  has  the 
right  to  make  money  and  the  people,  in  forming  this 


25O  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC, 

new  Government,  having  retained  the  right  of  legisla 
tion  to  themselves,  it  became  a  question  to  them  as  to 
what  substance  should  be  used  to  make  money  of;  they 
had  gold,  silver,  copper,  iron,  wood,  leather  and  paper; 
all  of  these  had  been  used  for  money  at  different 
periods  and  by  different  nations.  All  agreed  that 
paper,  for  all  purposes,  would  be  best,  but  some  said 
it  should  be  based  on  something  of  value;  others  said 
no;  it  was  decided  in  the  affirmative;  some  said  let  us 
base  it  upon  gold,  others  said  gold  was  a  commodity 
which  is  liable  to  fluctuate  in  value.  Its  production 
is  liable  to  increase  or  fall  off;  its  use  in  the  arts  may 
diminish;  the  sinking  of  a  ship  between  Liverpool  and 
New  York  might  materially  change  its  value;  it  was 
therefore  declared  illogical  to  base  upon  gold. 

Bundy  said  the  bulk  of  gold  was  in  the  vaults  of 
the  Bank  ot  England  and  he  would  prefer  having  a 
base  for  money  nearer  home.  One  said,  as  Govern 
ment  owned  the  land,  and  it  was  provided  in  the  con 
stitution  that  the  title  should  ever  remain  with  the 
Government,  the  proper  and  sensible  thing  would  be 
to  base  our  legal  tender  on  land  and  general  wealth  of 
the  nation;  let  the  amount  in  circulation  be  the  measure 
of  value,  that  amount  being  regulated  at  so  much  per 
capita  and  make  it  the  business  of  the  Government  to 
look  constantly  after  the  circulation*  and  regulate  the 
value  of  money  by  increasing  or  diminishing  the 
amount  in  use  outside  of  the  treasury. 

The  money  would  be  good,  because  by  common 
consent  a  law  had  been  passed  which  made  it  good; 
because  it  was  backed  by  the  Government  and  based 
upon  real  estate  of  twice  its  own  value;  because  there 
was  no  other  money.  By  this  plan  the  people  went  to 
their  own  Government  for  money  instead  of  going  to 
some  foreign  syndicate  and  inviting  them  to  furnish 
money  to  carry  on  their  own  great  enterprises;  thereby 
obtaining  title  to  every  valuable  franchise,  every  rich 
mine  and,  in  the  end,  an  absolute  control  of  the  whole 
industrial  system. 

It  was  agreed  that  no  foreign  capital  was  wanted; 
that  they  did  not  recognize  money  as  capital,  but  that 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  25! 

labor  was  capital  and  money  only  a  means  or  method. 

An  abundance  of  money  was  furnished,  as  has  been 
explained;  it  was  turned  over  to  corporations  and  they 
put  it  into  circulation. 

As  all  money  was  turned  over  to  corporations  in  lieu 
of  stock,  so  as  the  stock  was  sold  the  money  came 
back  into  the  treasury.  This  being  the  system,  it 
follows,  that  whenever  there  was  a  railroad  to  build 
the  money  was  always  ready;  if  there  were  people  in 
the  country  to  make  a  railroad  pay,  there  would  always 
be  spare  labor  enough  to  build  it.  The  only  thing 
necessary  to  set  labor  at  work  is  money  and  it  was 
therefore  furnished  in  abundance. 

Bundy  said  "there  would  be  just  as  much  sense  In 
limiting  the  amount  of  tools  to  work  with  as  there 
would  be  in  limiting  the  amount  of  money  to  be  used, 
which  would  certainly  have  the  same  effect,  as  money 
and  labor  were  the  requisites;  Government  furnished 
the  money  the  people  did  the  work  and  received  the 
money."  When  it  at  last,  passed  into  the  hands  of 
progressive  persons  it  went  back  into  the  treasury,  in 
exchange  for  stock  in  the  road;  thus  foreign  capital 
was  not  needed. 

So  it  was  with  every  branch  of  industry,  from  the 
building  of  a  city  to  the  opening  of  a  mine.  Wher 
ever  a  project  was  to  be  carried  out  for  the  good  of  the 
people,  which  required  a  capital  of  over  $100,000  it 
could  be  done  on  the  joint-stock  plan,  hence  no 
occasion  for  borrowing  money. 

The  amount  of  capital  required  cut  no  figure,  $100,- 
ooo  or  $100,000,000,  it  was  all  the  same.  If  there  were 
people  enough  to  do  the  work  there  would  be  people 
enough  to  buy  the  stock.  If  there  were  not  citizens 
enough  to  do  the  work  the  work  was  then  not  needed. 

"Work,"  said  President  Bundy,  "that  has  to  be  done 
with  imported  labor  had  better  go  undone. " 

Under  a  system  like  this  it  is  not  at  all  surprising 
that  this  young  Republic  prospered;  it  could  hardly  do 
otherwise.  There  was  no  advertising  for  capital  to 
come  and  take  possession,  scot  free,  of  all  the  most 
valuable  franchises  in  the  country;  no  organizing  com- 


252  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

panies  and  going  to  England  to  sell  stock;  all  this  was 
dispensed  with. 

In  the  territory  of  Arizona,  U.  S.,  there  are  some 
of  the  finest  valleys  the  sun  ever  shone  upon;  no  country 
was  ever  blest  with  a  finer  climate,  but  they  had  to 
have  water  to  irrigate  the  land  before  it  could  be 
farmed  successfully;  to  get  water  they  had  to  construct 
ditches;  there  were  plenty  of  men  to  do  the  work,  but 
they  had  no  money  and  instead  of  going  to  the  govern 
ment  for  it,  as  they  did  in  this  new  Republic,  and 
afterwards  buying  the  stock  as  the  country  progressed, 
they  were  compelled  to  work  under  different  methods. 
The  people  owned  the  lands  and  to  make  good  homes 
and  productive  farms,  they  must  have  water;  there  was 
plenty  of  water  in  the  river  that  belonged  to  the  public 
but  great  canals  had  to  be  constructed  to  convey  it  to 
the  land. 

Under  the  system  adopted  in  the  New  Republic,  the 
people  would  have  called  a  mass  meeting,  organized  a 
company  and  applied  to  the  chief  of  that  department 
at  Washington  for  a  charter;  when  the  charter  had 
been  granted  the  full  amount  of  stock  in  $10  shares 
was  also  printed  and  together  .with  money  to  the  same 
amount  would  be  sent  to  the  sub-treasury,  in  Arizona; 
the  money  to  be  drawn  upon  from  time  to  time  as  the 
work  progressed;  the  stock  to  be  kept  for  sale  at  its 
par  value.  The  charter  for  a  company,  together  with 
commission  to  officers  would  also  be  forwarded;  these 
officers  would  receive  a  reasonable  salary  and  hold  their 
places  until  removed  for  cause;  by  this  method  the 
stock  of  these  ditch  companies  would,  in  a  few  years, 
pass  into  the  hands  of  the  farmers  and  people,  gener 
ally  through  their  savings  and  the  money  back  into  the 
treasury. 

Under  American  methods,  some  shrewd  man,  seeing 
the  situation,  calls  a  few  friends  to  his  assistance, 
organizes  a  company  under  the  laws  of  the  territory, 
secures  a  franchise  and  right  to  the  water;  these  very 
valuable  acquisitions  cost  the  company  nothing  and 
have,  by  these  transactions,  been  transferred  from  the 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC*  253 

people  to  the  lawful  possession  of  a  soulless  concern 
that  often  becomes  so  powerful  as  to  defy  all  law. 

Having  been  duly  organized,  they  receive  their  fran 
chise  and  water  right,  issue  stock  or  bonds,  sell  a  part 
of  the  same  to  some  great  syndicate  for  money  to  build 
the  ditch  with;  the  money  thus  received  is  used  to  set 
the  people  to  work  and  they  build  a  canal.  For  doing 
this  work  the  good  people  receive  wages  enough  to 
keep  them  alive  until  the  canal  is  completed;  when 
water  is  upon  the  land,  they  learn  that  a  man  owning 
1 60  acres  could  not  buy  water,  even  for  cash,  until  he 
had  first  bought  a  water  right  that  would  cost  him 
from  $500  to  $2,000;  this  right  simply  guaranteed  to 
him  the  privilege  of  buying  water  for  his  land  by  pay 
ing  for  it  in  advance;  if  he  refused  to  buy  the  right, 
they  would  turn  the  water  back  into  the  river  and 
starve  him  out.  If  he  had  no  money  to  pay  for  a  right, 
a  bank  was  there  that  had  plenty  of  government  money 
they  would  lend  him  at  a  good  round  interest  and  take 
a  mortgage  on  his  land.  So  between  interest,  taxes, 
and  a  big  price  for  water,  the  farmer  soon  goes  to  the 
wall,  and  in  a  very  short  time  the  moneyed  men  own 
the  whole  thing,  while  the  farmer  becomes  a  tenant  on 
his  own  land. 

The  reader  will  of  course  suppose  that  this  water 
right  that  cost  the  Arizona  farmer  from  $500  to  $2,000 
gives  him  some  kind  of  stock  or  share  in  the  ditch,  but 
in  this  he  would  find  himself  mistaken,  as  it  only  gives 
him  the  privilege  of  buying  water  when  the  company 
has  it  to  sell.  Nothing  more,  nothing  less,  and  you 
can't  buy  water  unless  you  own  that  right  This  is 
rather  a  hard  story,  but  if  any  man  doubts  let  him 
investigate.  I  call  it  plutocratic  law,  pure  and  simple. 

It  has  been  before  explained  that  a  steam  naviga 
tion  company  had  been  organized  at  Summerville. 
This  company  had  unlimited  capital.  Congress  by 
special  act  had  fixed  fares  and  freights  at  such  a  figure 
as  to  make  the  business  extremely  profitable  and 
arranged  that  its  profit  above  5  per  cent  be  invested  in 
other  ships  to  that  end  that  it  would  alone  be  able  to 
do  all  the  cargoing  and  passenger  business  of  the 


254  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

Country.  One  object  in  this  act  was  to  increase  fares 
raid  keep  out  unwelcome  immigration.  Its  capital 
6tock  could  also  be  increased  at  any  time  that  more 
vessels  were  found  necessary.  For  a  while  this  com 
pany  bought  many  ships  abroad,  but  this  was  not 
destined  to  last  long  in  a  country  where  -there  was 
plenty  of  material  of  all  kinds,  plenty  of  skilled  labor, 
plenty  of  money  and  a  business  system  that  gave  every 
man  an  opportunity  of  becoming  part  owner  in  the 
company  for  which  he  toiled. 

The  ship  building  company  that  had  been  organized 
at  Summerville,  like  all  joint  stock  companies  in  the 
Republic,  had  unlimited  capital,  that  is,  it  could 
increase  its  capital  stock  whenever  the  business  required 
an  increase,  arid  receive  money  from  the  Government 
to  balance  the  stock.  Being  fully  alive  to  the  growing 
necessities  of  commerce,  this  company  was  using  every 
available  means  to  get  to  the  front  rank  as  builders 
and  were  now  constantly  putting  new  vessels  afloat,  all 
of  which  were  sold  to  the  navigation  company,  except 
such  as  were  disposed  of  to  private  individuals  and 
firms  for  coast  trade.  There  was  another  ship  building 
company  at  Summerville  but  its  entire  force  was  used 
in  constructing  war  vessels.  The  Government  also  had 
a  school  of  experts  in  connection  with  this  company, 
who  were  studying  new  plans  and  inventions  thought 
Co  be  useful  in  operating  against  and  destroying  iron 
vessels.  This  school  received  plans  and  inventions 
from  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  it  was  believed  that 
they  had  a  vessel  that  would  not  only  be  proof  against 
shot  and  shell  but  would  be  able  to  sink  the  heaviest 
armed  battle  ship  by  colotion.  These  boats,  it  was 
claimed,  had  greater  speed  than  any  war  vessel  afloat 
and  was  designed  for  coast  and  harbor  defense. 

The  settlements  were  spreading  in  every  direction; 
the  cotton  country  was  fast  being  converted  into  pro 
ductive  plantations  and  thrifty  villages  were  springing 
up  everywhere;  the  wheat  and  corn  country  was  also 
rapidly  being  taken  up,  not  by  speculators,  but  by 
people  who  wanted  homes.  Railroads  were  being  built 
everywhere,  factories  started  and  the  great  ship-loads 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  255 

of  immigrants  that  were  constantly  arriving,  would 
melt  away  into  the  busy  throng  without  attracting  the 
least  attention,  for  all  found  something  to  do.  They 
were  from  what  is  called  the  middle  class,  but  com 
posed  of  honest  ^and  intelligent  people,  who  had  lost 
their  savings  and  their  homes  during  the  wealth-con 
centrating  period  that  followed  the  passage  of  the 
contraction  act  in  the  United  States.  The  simple  fact 
that  during  the  fifteen  years  following  that  event,  there 
was  not  one  financial  act  but  was  directly  in  the  interest 
of  bankers,  gold-gamblers  and  their  conspirators, 
enabling  them  the  more  successfully  to  fleece  the 
people;  and  that  business  failures  became  the  rule  and 
not  the  exception,  is  quite  enough  to  account  for  these 
men  hunting  new  homes.  As  the  United  States  had 
furnished  homes  for  the  homeless  of  Europe  in  by-gone 
days,  so  now  the  new  Republic  was  called  upon  to 
furnish  homes  for  those  who  had  been  made  homeless 
in  so  short  a  time  in  America. 

These  people,  like  a  large  part  of  the  immigrants 
who  came  to  the  United  States,  had  more  or  less  gold 
and  silver,  beside  other  goods  of  value;  there  was  an 
import  duty  on  gold  because  it  was  an  article  not 
needed  in  the  Republic  and  this  law,  to  some  extent, 
helped  to  discourage  its  importation. 

Those  who  brought  gold  or  silver,  after  the  duty  was 
paid  experienced  no  further  inconvenience,  as  they 
could  sell  it  tp  the  treasury  deparement  at  a  small 
discount  for  National  money  which  was  a  full  legal- 
tender  in  all  parts  of  the  Republic,  and  with  it  their 
outfits  could  be  purchased  at  the  lowest  figure.  This 
constant  stream  of  gold  which  was  being  dumped  into 
the  treasury  by  immigrants,  in  addition  to  the  vast 
product  of  the  mines,  soon  put  the  statesmen  to  their 
wits'  end. 

As  every  man  in  the  country  was,  by  their  own 
peculiar  government  kept  constantly  employed,  with  an 
abundance  of  labor-saving  machinery,  there  could  be 
but  one  result,  an  over-production  of  everything,  but 
no  man,  woman  or  child  starved  or  went  half  clad  in 
consequence  of  this  over-production,  but  to  the  con* 


256  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

trary.  The  surplus  was  bought  up  by  a  huge  join' 
stock  company,  that  had  its  agents  in  all  parts  of  the 
world,  and  had  complete  control  of  all  export  and  im 
port  trade.  Owing  to  the  peculiar  methods  by  which 
all  joint-stock  companies  were  formed  and  controlled, 
this  company  worked  in  harmony  with  the  steam 
navigation  company,  and  the  result  was,  the  citizens 
of  the  Republic  owning  the  stock  in  both  companies, 
received  the  benefit  of  all  profit  arising  from  their  own 
carrying  trade  or  transportation. 

All  goods  were  kept  constantly  marketed  by  this 
company,  in  such  portions  of  the  world  as  they  were 
most  needed.  With  average  production  and  an  honest 
deal,  there  could  be  no  other  result  than  an  excess  of 
exports,  and  as  the  balance  of  trade  in  favor  of  the 
Republic  was  paid  in  gold,  which  soon  found  its  way 
into  the  treasury  in  exchange  for  money,  the  gold 
problem  became  more  difficult  of  solution  day  by  day. 
To  discontinue  the  purchase  of  gold  would  destroy  the 
mining  industry;  as  gold  was  not  needed  in  commerce, 
no  man  wanted  it;  to  let  it  accumulate  in  the  treasury  as 
a  useless  surplus,  with  an  imaginary  value,  was  called 
bad  statesmanship. 

At  this  critical  moment,  a  wag  suggested  that  they 
follow  the  example  of  the  United  States  and  invest  it 
in  the  Bank-of-England  confidence.  "I  would  use  the 
gold, "  said  he,  "for  money,  withdraw  the  national 
money  by  a  contraction  act  and  burn  it  up  for  fear  the 
people  might  call  for  it  again,  then  coin  the  gold  into 
honest  money;  sell  all  the  mines  and  railroad  stock  to 
English  syndicates  for  more  gold  to  make  more  honest 
money;  then  issue  a  lot  of  gold  bonds,  bearing  a  big, 
gold  interest,  then  a  national  banking  system  to  control 
the  money.  Do  as  I  tell  you  and  as  sure  as  history 
repeats  itself,  it  will  soon  take  all  the  surplus  of  the 
mines,  farm  and  factory  to  pay  for  confidence,  and 
interest  on  confidence  to  our  syndicate  millionaires." 

Among  the  farmers  who  came  there  were  some  of 
course  who  had  little  or  no  means;  some  of  these 
worked  for  others  until  they  earned  money  for  a  start; 
others  took  land  near  some  of  their  friends  or  worked 


AN     IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  257 

among  their  neighbors  who  would  return  the  compli 
ment  with  their  teams,  and  the  crop  was  soon  planted, 
and  when  harvested,  seldom  failed  to  sell  for  enough  to 
buy  teams  and  tools  for  the  coming  year.  In  this  way 
the  great  farming  lands  were  being  settled  up  by  an 
intelligent  and  industrious  class  of  people. 

With  plenty  of  rich  soil,  every  man  owning  his  own 
farm,  an  abundance  of  the  most  approved  farm-ma 
chinery,  no  rent,  no  interest,  mortgages,  or  taxes,  it 
was  found  that  every  energetic  farmer  had  a  regular 
surplus  to  invest  in  railroad  or  other  commercial  stock. 

While  the  farmers  were  prospering,  it  must  not  be 
supposed  that,  like  the  bankers  of  Christendom,  they 
were  robbing  every  other  industry;  on  the  contrary,  we 
see  manufactures  springing  up  everywhere  and  thou 
sands  of  men  constantly  employed  in  making  such 
articles  as  found  ready  sale  among  these  farmers. 

In  every  city,  town  and  county  we  see  mechanics, 
tradesmen  and  manufacturers  organizing  companies, 
starting  up  business  of  all  kinds,  and  the  stock  of  all 
these  companies  going  out  through  the  sub-treasury  as 
commercial  stock,  and  being  constantly  absorbed  by 
the  savings  of  the  country. 

To  those  in  the  United  States  who  have  seen  bankers, 
money-sharks  and  gold  gamblers  prosper  and  all  others 
go  to  the  wall  or  exist  as  auxiliaries,  or  at  the  pleasure 
of  the  great  millionaire  and  syndicate,  it  will  seem 
strange,  of  course,  that  one  class  of  people  can  prosper 
withoat  doing  so  at  the  expense  of  some  other  class; 
but  such  proves  to  be  the  case  in  our  new  Rebublic. 
In  fact,  so  exactly  to  the  reverse  of  this  did  things 
appear,  that  each  industry  was  the  life  and  support  of 
every  other  class,  and  each  being  dependent  upon  all 
the  others  for  a  market,  all  worked  in  harmony. 

The  price  of  labor  being  regulated  by  the  depart 
ment  of  industry,  in  accordance  with  the  price  of 
commodities  or  of  living,  that  question  became  obsolete 
and  was  unknown  among  the  citizens  of  the  new 
Republic.  A  workman  would  no  more  think  of  an 
increase  of  wages  than  would  an  American  soldier, 
except  it  came  through  their  own  savings  and  invest- 


258  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

ment  in  commercial  stock,  which  made  them  recipients 
of  the  50  per  cent  dividend  on  the  same.  As  no 
decrease  in  wages  could  occur  until  preceded  by  a 
corresponding  decrease  in  living  commodities,  no 
hardship  was  ever  felt  from  this  source  and  men  found 
questions  of  greater  interest  to  discuss  than  the  vexed 
question  of  capital  and  labor  as  it  exists  in  the 
United  States. 

When  the  system  of-  government  was  formulated 
there  was  a  great  difference  of  opinion  as  to  how  the 
financial  system  would  work.  Some  claimed  that  the 
gold  should  be  run  into  money  and  sent  out  instead  of 
paper  money;  others  thought  it  should  be  kept  in  the 
treasury  as  a  base  for  paper  money;  others  again  said 
that  would  be  wrong,  as  it  would  limit  the  circulation 
of  money  and  also  tie  up  the  gold  so  it  could  not  be 
used  as  a  commodity  in  exchange  with  foreign  countries 
without  decreasing  the  home  circulation;  some  objected 
to  the  whole  system,  saying  that  the  government  in 
issuing  such  vast  sums  of  money  to  build  and  run 
manufactures  of  all  kinds,  wholesale  stores,  erect  large 
buildings  in  cities,  put  up  buildings  for  schools,  colleges 
and  the  use  of  science;  build  and  run  railroads,  tele 
graphs,  telephones  and  every  other  enterprise  where 
large  capital  was  required,  would  so  inflate  the  currency 
as  to  make  the  money  worthless;  but  it  was  found  the 
savings  of  the  country  were  as  fast  as  possible  con 
verted  into  stock,  and  in  this  way  an  equilibrium  was 
preserved  between  money  and  commodities. 

As  time  rolled  on  all  stock  passed  into  the  hands  of 
the  people  through  their  savings,  and  the  money  of 
course  was  then  all  back  in  the  treasury.  Had  .not  the 
Government  sent  this  money  out  again  stringency  must 
have  occurred;  but  to  avoid  this,  Government  was  not 
only  compelled  to  carry  on  great  public  work  but  also 
made  large  appropriation  to  each  state  to  be  used  in 
building  public  roads  through  the  farming  region. 

In  the  United  States  this  money  would  have  been 
turned  over  to  a  banking  aristocracy,  and  they  in  turn 
would  have  loaned  it  to  the  people  at  a  heavy  interest, 
taking  a  mortgage  on  their  homes.  But  these  people 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  259 

had  seen  how  the  system  worked,  and  as  a  burned 
child  dreads  the  fire,  they  resolved  to  steer  clear 
of  banks. 

In  consequence  of  this  plan  of  getting  money  into 
circulation  by  spending  it  in  improvements,  the  roads 
throughout  the  country  were  nicely  graded,  bordered 
with  grass  and  shade  trees  and  soon  became  the  pride 
of  the  nation. 

After  the  business  stock  had  passed  into  the  hands 
of  the  people  through  their  over-production  or  surplus 
of  savings  it  was  found  that  the  two  per  cent  on  com 
mercial  stock,  together  with  the  revenue  derived  from 
the  graduated  tax  on  incomes,  was  so  enormous  that 
the  money  passed  back  into  the  treasury  in  one  con 
stant  stream,  similar  to  the  manner  in  which  it  floods 
Wall  Street  in  the  United  States,  but  after  the  money 
had  lodged  in  these  great  money  centers  the  method  of 
getting  it  out  and  in  circulation  again  was  very  different. 
Money  once  lodged  in  Wall  Street  remains  there  until 
business  men  are  compelled  to  have  it  to  carry  on 
business  or  meet  obligation.  Then  by  force  of  necessity 
they  are  compelled  to  borrow  it  at  enormous  rates  of 
interest;  so  the  business  man  eventually  does  business 
at  the  mercy  of  the  money  lender. 

In    the    Republic  things  are  quite  different. 

When  a  surplus  of  money  found  its  way  into  the 
treasury  and  in  consequence  less  than  $50  per  capita 
was  in  circulation,  it  became  the  duty  of  the  Treasurer, 
unless  other  provision  by  law  had  been  made  to  meet 
the  emergency,  to  portion  the  money  among  the  differ 
ent  states,  the  same  to  be  used  in  general  improvement 
of  the  country  at  once,  and  in  this  way  the  money  soon 
found  its  way  back  into  the  proper  channel.  Interest, 
discount,  mortgages,  honest  dollars,  parity,  sound 
currency,  gold  standard,  starvation  wages,  child  labor, 
paupers,  tramps  and  millionaires  were  terms  never 
heard  in  the  new  Republic,  though  common  in  the 
United  States. 

The  expense  of  running  state  and  county  government 
was  not  nearly  so  large  as  under  the  system  in  vogue 
in  the  United  States.  There  was  to  commence  with 


26O  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

no  bonded  debt,  hence  no  interest  to  be  paid  to  foreign 
money  lenders. 

Then  again,  lawful  possession  and  constant  use  was 
the  only  title  known  to  land,  consequently  the  expense 
of  running  that  branch  of  the  government  was  largely 
reduced.  As  there  was  plenty  of  money  and  work  for 
all,  with  no  saloons,  crime  disappeared  to  a  remarkable 
extent.  Taxes  were  promptly  paid  and  business  was 
never  cramped  as  it  often  is  where  money  is  controlled 
by  a  few  individuals  and  stringency  occurs. 

Americans  who  are  accustomed  to  the  good  old  way 
of  striking  two  blows  for  the  money  changers  or  land 
speculators  and  one  for  themselves,  will  no  doubt  won 
der  how  a  state  or  county  government  could  put  up 
public  buildings  without  issuing  boncis  to  get  the 
money;  and  in  order  that  they  may  understand  how 
this  was  done,  I  will  explain: 

When  the  organization  of  Government  was  perfected, 
thirteen  states  had  been  partially  settled  and  had  a 
population  of  from  50,000  to  100,000  each,  making  an 
entire  population  of  1,000,000;  at  $50  per  capita,  this 
would  require  a  total  circulation  of  $50,000,000.  The 
Government  had  been  issuing  money  for  every  busi 
ness  in  the  country  on  the  joint-stock  plan,  and  although 
there  had  been  issued  over  $300,000,000,  there  was 
now  less  than  $50,000,000  in  circulation,  the  balance 
having  come  back  into  the  treasury  in  exchange 
for  stock. 

As  there  had  been  no  over-plentiful  amount  of  money 
in  circulation  during  the  past,  and  as  there  were 
instances  in  history  where  nations  had  carried  a  circula 
tion  of  $70  or  $80  per  capita  successfully,  it  was  decided 
that  the  amount  of  money  in  circulation  be  increased 
to  $60  per  capita,  and  that  the  extra  $10  be  given  to 
each  state  tor  building  purposes. 

According  to  the  arrangement  a  state  having  a  popu 
lation  of  over  100,000  would  be  entitled  to  one  million 
dollars.  This  money  was  to  be  held  in  trust  by  the 
government  subject  to  the  order  of  each  state  when 
needed  for  the  erection  of  public  buildings,  and  as  popu- 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  261. 

lation  increased  this  fund  was  also  to  be  increased  at 
the  same  rate  of  $10  apiece. 

This  money  was  to  be  like  all  national  money — a  full 
legal  tender  and  forever  remain  in  circulation.  Accord 
ing  to  the  American  system  this  money  would  have 
been  given  to  the  banks  and  they  would  have  loaned  it 
to  the  states  for  bonds  bearing  large  interest;  thus 
interest  and  confidence  would  cost  the  people,  in  the 
course  of  events,  more  than  their  buildings  (all  for  the 
benefit  of  the  bank.) 

In  order  to  meet  ruiuiing  expenses  each  state  issued 
scrip  in  exchange,  the  same  to  be  receivable  for  taxes 
and  redeemable  in  National  money  when  there  was 
money  in  the  treasury.  In  order  to  bring  this  scrip  in 
on  taxes,  a  5  per  cent  premium  was  given  for  it  when 
offered  for  that  purpose. 

As  all  buildings  had  to  be  paid  for  out  0f  the  Build 
ing  fund  there  was  no  difficulty  in  raising,  by  direct 
tax,  the  amount  of  money  necessary  to  redeem  the  scrip 
once  a  year.  Thus  the  running  expense  of  state  and 
county  government  was  always  paid  in  scrip,  nicely 
printed  in  from  one  to  twenty  dollar  bills — duly  pro 
tected  against  counterfeit.  Having  a  5  per  cent  premium 
when  used  in  the  payment  of  taxes,  it  was  always 
desirable  and  constantly  in  demand  at  par. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  a  building  company  was 
organized  at  Summerville  for  the  purpose  of  construct 
ing  and  renting  such  buildings  as  were  needed  and 
would  cost  over  $100,000.  As  building  companies, 
were  organized  under  special  laws  and  operated  undef 
a  somewhat  different  plan  from  other  joint  companies, 
it  will  be  necessary  to  explain:  Wherever  a  town  or 
city  was  being  built  a  joint  company  could  be  formed 
by  the  people  electing  men  to  manage  the  business  of 
same  and  making  an  application  to  government  in 
regular  form  for  a  charter.  The  government  in  estab 
lishing  the  company,  as  in  all  other  cases,  would  for 
ward  to  the  sub-treasury  of  the  place  money  to  the  full 
amount  of  capital  stock.  The  stock  in  ten  dollar  shares 
was  also  forwarded;  the  money  to  be  held  subject  to 
order  of  the  company  as  it  was  needed  in  actual  busi- 


262  AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

ness  transactions  and  stock  to  be  kept  on  sale,  but  to 
bear  no  dividend  until  the  building  it  represented  had 
been  completed,  after  which  its  holder  would  be  entitled 
to  a  5  per  cent  annual  dividend  from  the  chief  office  of 
building  d  apartment  paid  through  the  sub-treasury. 

The  profits  of  these  companies  being  like  all  others 
limited  to  7  per  cent,  the  rents  of  buildings  were  so 
adjusted  as  to  as  nearly  as  possible  bring  that  result. 
The  government  always  received  the  full  amount  of 
profit  and  paid  to  the  stockholders  5  per  cent  dividend 
per  year. 

As  land  was  never  sold  its  value  was  never  taken  into 
consideration  in  adjusting  rents;  in  fact  it  had  no 
monetary  value  any  more  than  so  much  air  or  water, 
and  was  never  taxed.  The  entire  outlay  of  the  com 
pany  on  a  piece  of  land  formed  the  base  for  assessing 
rents,  but  buildings  in  favorable  locations  were  always 
assessed  higher  rents  than  those  in  unfavorable  quar 
ters,  and  in  finding  the  company's  profits  the  entire 
business  transactions  of  the  year  were  taken  into 
account. 

When  it  so  happened  in  a  city  that  a  lot  or  square 
remained  in  the  hands  of  parties  with  inferior  buildings, 
an  ordinance  by  some  citizen  was  laid  before  the  city 
council  requiring  that  a  certain  kind  of  building  be 
erected  on  said  lot  or  square  to  correspond  to  other 
buildings  on  the  same  street.  The  ordinance  would  be 
voted  on  at  the  first  election  and  if  carried,  became  a 
law  and  the  occupants  were  notified  to  commence  work 
at  a  certain  time;  failing  to  do  so,  his  building  would 
be  appraised;  the  building  company  were  then  notified 
to  pay  for  the  improvements,  take  possession  of  the 
property,  remove  the  old  building  and  erect  a  new  one 
in  compliance  with  the  ordinances. 

This  would  at  first  seem  to  be  rather  of  an  arbitrary 
plan  and  liable  to  work  injustice  to  some,  but  as  the 
land  belonged  to  the  government  and  the  man  had 
already  received  the  use  of  it  for  several  years  without 
rent,  it  was  generally  conceded  that  he  had  but  little 
right  to  complain,  being  paid  for  his  old  building.  In 
fact  most  merchants  preferred  having  their  surplus 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  263 

cash  invested  in  stock  at  5  per  cent  per  annum  to  hav 
ing  it  tied  up  in  real  estate,  and  it  was  noticed  that 
.he  men  owning  the  buildings  were  generally  first  to 
suggest  the  plan  for  a  new  building  that  could  be  rented 
so  reasonably. 

Their  building  called  for  insurance  and  in  case  of  a 
pinch  was  hard  to  convert  into  cash,  while  the  stock 
required  no  insurance  and  could  be  converted  into  cash 
on  presentation. 

Some  men  of  course  who  had  been  raised  under  the 
old  English  land  law,  millionaire  rule  of  the  United 
States,  made  a  good  deal  of  fuss  and  said  that  the 
legislation  was  all  against  individuals  who  had  been 
frugal  and  accumulated  wealth.  They  would  sometimes 
use  the  same  old  gag  of  dividing  up  all  the  property, 
a  thing  that  none  but  themselves  ever  thought  of,  but 
all  this  was  considered  a  kind  of  disease,  the  result  of 
having  been  raised  under  bad  conditions  among  mil 
lionaires,  and  they  were  reminded  that  the  land 
belonged  to  the  Government  or  people,  and  its  increase 
in  value  belonged  to  the  people;  that  for  any  one  man 
to  claim  either  the  land  or  increase  in  value  of  the  land, 
further  than  its  increased  usefulness  to  himself  as  a 
home,  was  to  say  the  least,  extremely  selfish  if  not 
dishonest. 

This  class  of  people  was  also  reminded  that  the  Gov 
ernment  was  of  the  people  and  for  the  people;  the 
greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number.  That  in  no  case 
should  laws  be  made  for  the  benefit  of  an  individual. 
The  individuals  should  conform  to  the  law  but  in  no 
case  should  the  law  be  made  to  conform  to  the  wishes 
or  interests  of  an  individual,  as  that  would  certainly 
be  class  legislation,  and  directly  opposed  to  that  already 
well  established  rule,  the  greatest  good  to  the  greatest 
number. 

Mr.  Bundy  said  that  while  it  was  important  to  the 
people  as  a  nation  that  every  man  should  own  his  own 
home,  there  was  no  good  reason  why  a  business  man 
should  own  the  house  he  does  business  in.  The  home 
was  for  the  accommodations  of  the  family  and  should 
be  owned  by  the  family;  the  business  house  was  for  the 


264  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

accommodation  of  the  public  and  should  be  owned  by 
the  public. 

As  the  rent  of  buildings  was  placed  on  their  real 
cost  and  limited  to  7  per  cent,  it  was  found  that  busi 
ness  men  could  generally  make  more  on  their  money 
by  using  it  in  their  business  than  they  could  to  have 
it  invested  in  buildings;  while  stock  furnished  a  nice 
investment  for  such  surplus  as  might  arise. 

These  building  companies  were  organized  in  all  parts 
of  the  country;  as  a  rule  they  constructed  all  state, 
national  and  county  buildings.  Having  extensive  and 
complete  outfits  and  skilled  workmen,  they  could,  when 
a  building  was  needed,  carry  on  the  work  without 
hinderance  or  delay.  Such  work  was  all  done  by  con 
tract,  and  as  work  progressed  they  drew  upon  the  state 
or  county,  $10  per  capita,  building  fund,  which  was 
generally  found  to  be  more  than  sufficient,  but  when 
it  ran  short  the  Government  issued  the  amount  to  meet 
the  emergency  and  it  went  into  circulation,  to  be  kept 
out  of  such  building  fund  as  might  accrue  to  the  state 
in  the  future  from  the  general  Government  as  popula 
tion  increased,  but  in  no  case  did  snch  fund  or  short 
ages  bear  interest. 

In  the  building  department  there  were  two  classes 
of  companies  formed;  those  just  described  were  for  the 
construction  of  public  or  business  houses;  the  other 
companies  constructed  dwellings  and  were  different 
from  the  first  mentioned  only  in  their  peculiar  method 
of  renting  their  buildings. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

'"T^HESE  home  construction  companies,  as  they  were 
I  called,  were  organized  in  every  town  and  city  in 
the  country.  They  were  joint  stock  companies  and 
organized  on  the;  same  plan  as  all  other  companies;  a 
house  that  cost  $1,000  would  bear  a  rent  under  the  7 
per  cent  law  or  rule  of  $70  a  year;  to  cover  wear,  10 
per  cent  or  $10  was  added,  making  in  all  lawful  rent 
to  the  amount  of  $80  per  year;  in  addition  to  this, 
they  charged  a  purchase  rental  of  $74  per  year,  making 
in  all  $12  per  month.  Taking  the  price  of  other  things 
into  consideration,  this  was  thought  to  be  a  reasonable 
rent.  At  the  end  of  the  first  year,  as  $74  had  been 
paid.  8  per  cent  on  that  amount  was  added  to  the  $74 
making  his  credit  the  second  year  $79.92.  From  this 
it  will  be  seen  that  in  the  two  years  the  renter  would 
have  placed  to  his  credit  $153.92,  and  in  this  way  the 
credit  would  increase  from  year  to  year  until  the  house 
was  paid  for.  Then  the  renter  would  receive  from  the 
company  a  quit-claim  deed  to  the  property. 

This  system  was  adopted  by  the  Government  for  the 
purpose  of  encouraging  citizens  to  own  their  own  homes. 
After  a  man  had  paid  rent  on  a  building  until  his  credit 
amounted  to  $100  or, over,  he  could  transfer,  for  or 
without  consideration,  his  right  of  possession,  together 
with  his  credit  on  the  company's  book,  to  a  third 
party;  but  that  third  party  in  order  to  derive  any 
benefit  from  the  credit,  must  use  the  house  for  his 
home  and  continue  to  pay  rents.  Any  failure  to  do 
this  forfeited  both  possession  and  credit. 

There  is  no  wonder  that  Mr.  Goldburg  was  surprised 
when  he  learned  from  the  newspapers  that  he  could 


266  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

buy  Government  bonds  bearing  interest,  a  good,  round 
sum,  with  his  greenback,  and  while  drawing  on  the 
bond  have  90  per  cent  of  his  money  given  back  to  him 
to  lend  out  among  the  people  to  take  the  place  in  cir 
culation  of  greenbacks  he  had  just  paid  to  Government 
for  bonds. 

When  he  saw  that  by  this  very  strange  act  of  Con 
gress,  he  was  enabled  to  receive  one  interest  on  his 
money  from  the  government,  and  another  interest  on 
the  same  money  from  the  people,  he  knew  for  a  cer 
tainty  that  the  money  power  was  framing  the  laws  and 
that  the  idea  of  the  government  being  of  and  for  the 
people  was  an  exploded  theory,  hence  his  surprise;  but 
it  was  no  greater  than  the  surprise  of  these  honest 
toilers  to  find  that  they  were  living  under  a  Govern 
ment  which  did  actually  recognize  the  rights  of  man 
to  live  and  receive  justice.  While  it  was  explained  to 
them  that  the  Government  was  losing  nothing  in  the 
transaction,  but  on  the  contrary,  both  the  Government 
and  the  company  made  a  reasonable  profit,  they  were 
highly  elated  and  declared  that  if  the  system  continued 
for  fifteen  years,  every  family  would  have  a  home  to 
beautify,  and  this  might  truly  be  called  a  Government 
of  and  for  the  people — not  the  millionaires.  It  was 
also  remarked  that  in  the  United  States  the  wise 
statesmen  who  were  memorized  subjects  under  control 
of  millionaires  had  talked  so  much  about  the  sacred 
rights  of  property,  that  it  seemed  strange  to  see  the 
rights  of  man  recognized. 

Mr.  Bundy  said:  "This  system  is  the  outgrowth  of 
advanced  thought;  so  long  as  we,  through  our  Govern 
ment  control  money,  also  control  the  accumulation  of 
property  in  the  hands  of  individuals,  by  limiting  inheri 
tance  and  graduated  income  tax,  just  so  long  will  we 
have  a  Government  of  and  for  the  people.  But  when 
ever  we  limit  ourselves  as  a  Government  in  our  accu 
mulation  to  the  actual  expense  of  the  Government  and 
allow  individual  property  to  roll  on  from  year  to  year, 
and  age  to  age  without  check  or  limit,  there  can  be 
but  one  result,  the  power  of  wealth  in^the  hands  of  a 
few  will  become  stronger  than  the  Government,  control 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  267 

legislation,  monopolize  machinery;  labor  will  go  unem 
ployed,  and  crime  increase,  while  chaos  and  confusion 
will  reign." 

Large  newspapers  were  all  run  on  the  joint  stock 
plan  under  the  Control  of  that  department  of  Govern 
ment;  as  with  all  other  companies,  the  Government 
furnished  the  money  and  sold  the  stock.  The  7  per 
cent  rule,  also,  applied  to  them  as  to  all  other  compa 
nies.  From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  press  was 
beyond  the  reach  of  subsidy  and  became  the  great 
guiding  star  of  the  Republic.  As  every  man  had  a 
home,  every  man  took  a  paper.  As  eight  hours  was 
the  universal  day's  work,  all  had  time  to  read  and  all 
did  read — men,  women  and  children. 

As  the  forms  of  the  Government  were  all  simple,  all 
understood  them.  They  had  no  parity  between  the 
metals,  gold  and  silver,  to  puzzle  statesmen;  these 
metals  had  been  reduced  to  commodities  and  a  boy  ten 
years  old  could  give  you  their  exact  value.  Everybody 
knew  that  money  was  worth  just  what  it  would  buy, 
and  the  figures  on  the  bill  told  as  plainly  what  that 
was  as  though  it  were  stamped  in  gold.  Everybody 
knew  the  money  was  good,  because  it  was  the  pledge 
of  the  Government,  and  the  Government  owned  all  the 
land  and  controlled  all  the  business  of  the  country. 
The  people  who  had  the  use  of  the  money  free  of 
interest,  also  had  the  land  free  of  rent. 

Under  such  circumstances  is  it  any  wonder  that  the 
citizens  of  the  new  Republic  prospered  and  needed  no 
protective  tariff? 

Mr.  Bundy  said:  "With  the  finest  machinery  in  use, 
no  rent,  no  interest,  light  taxes,  every  man  ownin,;ias 
own  home,  they  could  compete  with  the  slave  or  pauper 
labor  of  any  or  all  other  countries;  beside,  if  all  the 
other  countries  under  the»sun  were  blotted  from  exist 
ence,  it  would  not  seriously  affect  their  industries; 
they  would  still  have  enough  to  eat,  plenty  to  wear, 
plenty  to  do  and  plenty  of  money.  These  things  are 
absolutely  necessary  to  bring  about  prosperity." 

In  farming  regions,  people  with  old  fashioned  ideas 
were  very  much  worked  up  by  not  being  able  to  get  a 


268  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

deed  to  their  land.  One  man  hearing  that  a  Catholic 
explorer  had  landed  on  the  coast  of  Africa  some  16,000 
years  before  the  flood  and  had  claimed  the  country,  he 
believing  this  to  be  the  oldest  title  that  could  be  pro 
cured,  wrote  to  the  Pope,  at  Rome,  and  in  considera 
tion  of  his  faith,  piety  and  a  few  gold  dollars,  received 
a  warrantee  deed;  that  man  thereafter,  was  the  envy  of 
the  whole  neighborhood,  and  was  recognized  as  the 
only  man  in  the  country  having  a  warrantee  deed.  As 
time  rolled  on,  some  lawless  parties  drove  him  from 
the  land  arid  themselves  took  possession;  he  applied  to 
the  authorities,  who  arrested  the  parties  and  reinstated 
the  man.  It  then  dawned  upon  the  people,  that  land 
could  only  be  held  peacefully,  under  the  protection  of 
the  Government;  it  also  occurred  to  them  that  a  Gov 
ernment  could  as  easily  protect  a  man's  po'ssessive 
right,  as  though  he  had  an  abstract  title  running  back 
to  the  day  of  Constantine.  They  began  to  comprehend 
that  absolute  ownership  of  land  had  been  one  of  the 
prime  factors  in  enslaving  mankind  since  time  began. 

The  mines  had  been  worked  for  years  by  private 
individuals;  but  as  they  grew  deeper  and  surface  mines 
were  exhausted,  they  required  more  capital;  to  secure 
this  they  organized  companies  and  took  advantage  of 
the  joint-stock  system. 

It  should  be  here  explained  that  although  mining 
companies  were  organized  on  the  same  general  princi 
ples  that  other  companies  were,  the  stock  was  managed 
very  differently;  when  sold  it  was  never  received  back 
again  into  the  treasury  in  exchange  for  money  or 
otherwise,  except  on  deposit.  The  dividends,  instead 
of  being  limited  to  5  per  cent  were  paid  upon  the  net 
productions.  On  being  applied  to  for  a  charter  on 
certain  property,  the  Department  sent  experts,  who 
were  of  high  standing  and-  employed  by  the  year,  to 
examine  the  mine,  not  only  to  report  on  its  merit,  but 
also  to  make  an  estimate  of  the  cost  of  such  work  as 
would  be  necessary  to  put  the  property  in  a  paying 
condition;  attend  also  to  the  building  of  roads,  buying 
machinery,  putting  it  in  place  with  all  necessary  build 
ings,  tools,  fixtures,  in  fact,  everything  necessary  to 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  269 

successful  operation.  When  this  report  was  made  fully 
satisfactory  a  joint-stock  company  was  formed  by 
appointing  officers  to  run  the  concern ;  a  charter  was 
then  forwarded  to  the  sub-treasury  nearest  the  mine, 
together  with  stock  to  the  full  amount  of  the  cost  of 
the  work  as  reported  by  the  expert,  and  money  was 
sent  to  balance  the  stock,  to  be  used  as  needed  on  the 
work;  one-fourth  of  the  stock  to  be  given  to  the  owner 
of  the  mines,  the  balance  to  be  placed  on  sale  at  a 
premium  of  25  per  cent. 

Applications  for  stock  were  received  for  thirty  days 
before  sale  of  stock  commenced  and  then  the  orders 
were  filled  by  commencing  with  the  smallest  order, 
then  the  next  smallest  and  so  on  up  to  the  greatest. 
This  was  law.  After  a  thirty  days'  run  had  been  made 
the  product  was  turned  over  to  the  Government,  as 
was  the  universal  rule;  its  entire  value  was  ascertained; 
from  this,  10  per  cent  was  taken  as  royalty,  then  10 
per  cent  for  a  sinking  fund,  to  be  added  to  such  money 
as  remained  after  the  work  of  putting  the  mines  in 
order  was  completed;  this  10  per  cent  sinking  fund 
was  taken  out  and  retained  as  long  as  the  mine  run, 
unless  the  rule  was  suspended  by  the  mining  depart 
ment.  It  was  held  in  trust  by  the  Government  to  cover 
contingencies  and  at  last,  when  the  mine  was  abandoned 
if  any  remained  unused  to  be  paid  out  as  a  dividend 
on  stock.  After  these  sums  had  been  subtracted  from 
the  total  product  the  balance  was  paid  out  as  a  divi 
dend  on  stock.  When  the  first  run  had  been  made,  if 
any  stock  remained  in  the  treasury,  its  price  was  fixed 
in  accordance  with  the  production,  but  was  not  allowed 
to  be  sold  below  25  per  cent  premium;  so  that  the 
Government  not  only  received  10  per  cent  royalty,  but 
they  received  such  increase  in  value  as  might  accrue 
after  thirty  days'  run;  but  it  was  found  that  under  this 
system,  the  stock  was  generally  sold  before  the  mine 
started. 

As  a  general  rule,  when  a  company  was  formed,  every 
man  and  woman,  boy  and  girl  in  the  neighborhood 
who  had  ten  dollars  to  spare,  registered  at  the  sub- 
treasury  for  stock,  and  in  a  majority  of  cases  there  was 


^70  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

not  stock  enough  to  supply  the  demand.  Of  course 
many  large  fortunes  were  made  in  these  mines,  but 
foreign  capital  received  no  favor,  because  it  was  not 
needed  and  was  prohibited  by  law. 

Notwithstanding  the  production  of  these  mines  was 
much  less  than  the  mines  of  the  United  States,  their 
working  had  a  very  different  effect  upon  the  country 
and  people.  As  large  capital  was  required  to  work  the 
mines  in  the  United  States,  for  the  want  of  money 
men  were  often  forced  to  sell  to  foreign  capitalists; 
thus  many  of  the  best  mines  passed  into  the  hands  of 
foreign  syndicates  for  a  nominal  sum  and  their  immense 
wealth  was  forever  lost  to  the  United  States,  for  want 
of  a  system  that  would  furnish  money  to  the  people, 
instead  of  the  banker.  Individuals  too  in  the  American 
mines  often  made  millions;  with  this  money  they 
obtained  vast  possessions,  monopolized  railroads,  real 
estate  and  other  valuable  property,  finally  becoming 
insane  over  the  sudden  acquisition  of  such  wealth  and 
power;  others  go  to  foreign  countries  and  there  court 
royalty,  often  ending  by  marrying  a  daughter  to  some 
titled  pauper,  who  spends  their  wealth  in  a  foreign  land. 

Thus  the  country  which  owned  these  greatest  of 
producing  mines  known  to  man,  receive  little  or  no 
benefit  from  them;  on  the  contrary,  Americans  risked 
their  lives  delving  for  gold  which  an  idiot  might 
squander  in  a  foreign  land.  In  fact,  such  has  been  the 
legislative  management  of  the  United  States  for  the 
last  twenty-five  years,  that  while  the  gold  and  silver 
has  been  constantly  going  abroad,  the  surplus  beef, 
pork,  wheat,  corn,  cotton,  rice,  tobacco  and  many 
other  commodities  have  to  a  great  extent  fed  and 
clothed  the  civilized  world;  during  that  period  the 
United  States  as  a  people,  are  said  to  have  become  the 
debtor-nation,  not  only  of  millions,  but  billions  upon 
billions  of  dollars  and  are  to-day  paying  tribute  in  the 
shape  of  interest  to  foreign  syndicates,  amounting  to 
millions  upon  millions  of  dollars  annually. 

Can  any  American  wkc/  loves  his  country,  respects 
himself  and  his  kindred,  help  feeling  a  sense  of  shame 
when  he  contemplates  these  things.  Whether  it  comes 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  271 

from  ignorance  of  legislators  or  unparalleled  dishon 
esty,  trickery  and  bribe  taking,  it  matters  not;  it  is 
robbery,  nevertheless. 

While  this  has  been  going  on  for  years,  the  United 
States  Senate^  has  had  the  services  of  many  able  men, 
whose  wisdom  has  been  unquestioned,  holding  positions 
and  receiving  pay  at  the  hands  of  the  American  people. 
But  not  one  man  has  dared  to  grapple  the  plurocratic 
monster  and  oppose  a  system  of  class  legislation  that 
many  of  the  ablest  men  in  the  nation  foresaw  and 
publicly  proclaimed  would  bring  about  this  slavish, 
inhuman  result;  but  while  many  lent  their  silent  con 
sent,  others  in  violation  of  all  righteousness  gave  their 
intellect  and  best  efforts  toward  the  passage  of  acts  that 
will  forever  stand  in  history  as  a  monument  to  the 
debauchery  of  the  men  who  voted  for  them.  Shall  we 
attribute  all  this  to  ignorance  or  dishonesty,  or  is  it 
possible  that  there  is  no  better  way  and  that  American 
liberty  which  once  inspired  the  heart  of  our  people  has 
been  smothered  in  debt  and  pauperism?  Perhaps 
some  of  the  gentlemen  who  have  been  in  the  United 
States  Senate  during  this  time  and  have  become  mil 
lionaires  from  a  salary  of  $5,000  a  year,  could  give  us 
some  light  upon  this  subject. 

When  that  patriotic,  American  statesman,  Charles 
C.  Pinckney,  used  these  words:  "Not  one  dollar 
for  tribute  but  millions  for  defense"  and  found  a 
responsive  chord  in  every  American  heart,  he  little 
thought  that  in  a  few  short  years,  from  class  legisla 
tion,  his  countrymen  would  not  only  be  paying  millions 
upon  millions  of  tribute  in  the  form  of  interest,  rent 
and  dividends,  but  that  one-half  of  their  number  would 
be  living  in  rented  homes. 

It  seemed  like  a  pity  to  spoil  a  good  story  by  such 
an  array  of  disagreeable  facts,  but  in  order  to  show 
clearly  the  beauties  and  advantages  arising  from  the 
order  of  things  existing  in  the  new  Republic,  the  con 
trast  is  important;  besides  it  enables  the  writer  to 
show  the  different  effect  of  a  Government  run  in  the 
interest  of  the  people  and  one  run  in  the  interest  of 
bankers  and  millionaires. 


272  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

When  years  rolled  on  the  exports  of  the  Republic 
became  enormous.  As  not  one  dollar  of  it  went  to  pay 
interest,  dividends  or  profits  on  foreign  capital,  and 
very  little  to  be  spent  in  worshiping  a  royal  class 
that  owed  their  station  in  life  to  birth,  not  to  merit, 
the  people  of  the  Republic  enjoyed  a  degree  of  pros 
perity  unparalleled  in  ancient  or  modern  times.  Their 
institutions  of  learning  became  the  wonder  of  the 
world.  Owing  to  the  improved  condition  of  the  coun 
try,  travel  became  so  cheap  that  space  was  in  a  manner 
overcome,  and  people  living  hundreds  of  miles  apart, 
were  often  like  next  door  neighbors. 

Improved  machinery  released  so  many  men  from 
other  departments  that  the  railroad  companies  increased 
their  construction  and  repairing  force,  until  the  road 
beds  and  bridges  were  made  so  perfect  that  with  their 
universal  double-tracks  danger  of  travel  was  reduced  to 
a  minimum,  collisions  and  other  accidents  being  next 
to  impossibilities. 

The  postal  system  became  so  perfect  in  its  workings 
that  farmers  had  their  mail  laid  at  their  door  every  day. 

Newspapers  were  so  far  superior  to  the  subsidized 
press  of  the  United  States,  that  a  comparison  would 
be  odious.  One  ever  leading  in  a  constant  search  for 
new  truths.  The  other  constantly  seeking  new  subter 
fuge  to  cover  up  the  crimes  of  millionaires;  the  one 
the  life  of  progress;  the  other  the  greatest  known 
obstacle  in  its  way;  one  a  credit;  the  other  a  disgrace. 

As  cleanliness  was  said  to  be  next  to  godliness,  a 
huge  joint-stock  company  was  formed  that  did  business 
in  every  city,  town  and  county  in  the  country.  Steam 
laundries  were  brought  to  such  a  high  state  of  perfec 
tion  and  work  was  done  so  cheaply  that  they  were 
patronized  by  even  the  poorest  families;  light  wagons 
were  constantly  making  their  rounds  gathering  up  the 
soiled  clothes  and  returning  them  ready  for  use. 

Churches,  while  grand  in  architecture,  were  modest 
and  less  pretentious  in  inside  ornamentation. 

In  religious  teachings  they  had  kept  pace  with  the 
general  advance  of  intelligence;  creeds  and  dogmas  had 
in  a  great  measure  been  abandoned  and  the  brotherhood 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  273 

of  man,  as  taught  by  Jesus  Christ,  was  accepted  in 
its  simplicity.  An  endless,  burning  -hell  of  fire  and 
brimstone,  with  all  teachings  representing  God  as  a 
brutal  monster,  were  forever  buried  with  the  musty 
records  of  the  past. 

As  limiting  inheritance  and  a  graduated  income  tax 
produced  a  more  equal  distribution  of  money  and 
property,  there  were  wealthy  men  and  women  by 
thousands  in  every  county,  town  and  city.  In  conse 
quence  of  this  when,  from  drouth,  fire,  flood  or  pesti 
lence,  assistance  became  necessary,  many  willing  hearts 
and  hands  brought  prompt  relief. 

Roads  were  hard,  smooth  and  shady  borders  made 
them  so  delightful  that  bicycles  took  the  place  of 
horses  to  a  great  extent.  Fruit,  flowers  and  trees  were 
so  common  that  every  house  became  an  eden,  every 
farm  a  paradise;  people  from  the  cities  often  sought 
the  shady  nooks  and  corners  in  the  country  for  recrea 
tion  and  repose. 

The  only  army  found  necessary  was  used  in  garri 
soning  the  forts  along  the  coast;  some  even  considered 
these  superfluous,  claiming  that  the  advanced  condition 
of  the  people,  intellectually,  physically,  socially  and 
morally  would  make  them  capable  of  taking  care  of 
themselves  against  the  combined  world. 

General  Summerville  being  kept  in  command  of  the 
army,  continued  the  use  of  natives  and  pronounced 
them  the  very  best  of  soldiers;  but  he  had  another 
reason  for  not  enlisting  white  men  and  that  was,  that 
times  were  so  good  outside  of  the  army  that  none  chose 
to  enlist  except  in  case  of  war,  and  there  was  no 
probability  of  that. 

One  of  the  most  peculiar  features  of  the  new  condition 
of  society  in  the  Republic  was,  while  the  cities  were 
already  assuming  gigantic  proportions,  the  manu 
facturers  and  farmers  crowding  their  surplus  or  over 
production  upon  the  market,  the  great  steam  navigation 
company  was  kept  busy  transporting  it  to  all  parts  of 
the  world,  the  people  en  masse  receiving  the  dividends 
on  stock  that  represented  all  the  great  corporations  of 
the  country;  free  schools  and  colleges  running  the  year 


274  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

around  without  interruption.  All  this  had  been 
accomplished  without  the  use  of  gold  as  money,  with 
out  a  national  bank,  without  a  foreign  debt,  and  not 
the  shadow  of  a  millionaire,  picture  of  a  pauper,  or  a 
subsidized  press. 

Kiyongo  had  now  become  a  populous  city  and  it  was 
American  to  the  core.  A  society  was  formed  there  by 
such  men  as  had  been  crowded  out  of  business  in  the 
United  States  by  the  disastrous  result  of  contraction 
and  other  acts  of  Congress.  The  object  of  the  society 
was  to  keep  in  memory  that  sad  event;  it  was  ordained 
by  this  society  that  they  would  build  a  monument  of  a 
fine  quality  of  building  stone  that  had  been  found  in 
the  mountains;  to  be  located  on  a  beautiful  knoll  three 
miles  east  of  the  city  of  Kiyongo,  the  place  being 
selected  on  account  of  being  in  plain  view  from  both 
city  and  lake.  It  was  erected  in  order  to  keep  fresh 
that  legislation  in  the  United  States  known  as  the 
exception  clause  on  greenbacks,  gold  interest  on  bonds, 
contraction,  resumption,  and  demonetization  of  silver. 
It  was  claimed  that  the  people  of  the  United  States, 
through  this  legislation,  had  been  robbed,  not  only  of 
millions  upon  millions,  but  even  billions  upon  billions 
had  been  wrung  from  an  industrious  people  and  millions 
of  men,  women  and  children  had  lost  their  homes  and 
had  been  reduced  to  a  state  of  want  and  suffering  to 
enrich  a  few  individuals.  It  was  also  claimed  that 
John  Sherman  had  been  the  main  party  through  whom 
this  class  legislation  was  secured;  that  the  work  had 
been  done  with  eyes  not  blinded  to  the  results  that 
would  follow,  as  was  clearly  shown  by  his  former 
speeches;  but  that  it  was  a  plain  case  ot  corruption, 
and  therefore  his  name,  with  that  of  Arnold,  and  Judas 
should  be  kept  in  memory  as  the  three  greatest  traitors 
to  human  progress  that  the  world  has  ever  known  and 
that  a  representative  statue  of  each  be  placed  upon  the 
great  monument,  and  a  history  of  their  diabolical  work 
be  traced  in  flaming  letters  on  its  sides. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

WHILE  Mr.  Goldburg  was  in  Boston,  Rebecca 
wrote  to  one  of  the  Professors  of  a  seminary  where 
she  had  formerly  been  a  student  asking  for  a  situation 
as  a  teacher,  and  having  been  in  high  esteem  in  the 
school,  she  received  a  prompt  reply  offering  her  a  place 
to  commence  at  her  earliest  convenience.  She  put  the 
letter  where  she  could  get  it  readily  and  made  up  her 
mind  that  if  difference  must  come  between  her  and  her 
father  she  preferred  being  the  aggressor.  The  second 
day  after  her  father's  return  from  Boston,  he  stopped 
in  the  sitting  room  for  a  few  moments  to  look  over  the 
morning  paper  and  Rebecca  thinking  it  a  good  oppor 
tunity,  took  the  letter  and  presented  it  for  his  approval. 
He  read  it  with  astonishment. 

"Why  is  this?"  he  said,  "that  you  are  wanting  to 
disgrace  the  family  by  going  to  work  for  a  salary? 
Did  your  mother  not  tell  you  of  the  plan  I  have  in 
view,  of  uniting  the  two  great  estates  through  your 
marriage  with  Mr.  Goldaker?" 

"Yes,  father,"  said  Rebecca,  "but  I  do  not  like  that 
man." 

"No,  you  never  like  any  man  that  is  respectable; 
while  I  have  been  many  years  hard  at  work  building 
up  a  fortune  that  can  be  left  as  a  monument  to 
myself  and  family,  you  absolutely  refuse  to  marry 
where  you  can,  by  so  doing,  throw  millions  into  my 
possession,  and  also  start  a  family  to  inherit  this  vast 
estate,  which  will  be  equal  to  the  largest  in  the  United 
States  and  give  your  children  a  rank  in  the  coming 
Nobility,  which  is  already  organized  and  fast  develop 
ing  into  power." 

"I  am  so  sorry  to  oppose  you,  father;  if  you  were  in 
want  I  would  do  anything  possible  to  comfort  you." 


276  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

"Want,"  said  her  father,  in  a  mocking  way,  "do  you 
suppose  that  with  all  my  gold  I  could  ever  come  to 
want?  It  is  not  want  by  which  I  am  actuated,  but  it 
is  business,  purely  business. " 

"True,"  said  Rebecca,  "it  is  business  with  you,  but 
1  am  not  property  to  be  bartered  off  for  gold;  I  am  hu 
man  and  I'll  die  before  I  will  marry  a  man  I  do  not  love. " 

The  millionaire  flushed  at  such  insubordination  and 
straightening  himself  up,  said:  "Call  your  mother." 

Rebecca  obeyed  and  was  about  to  leave  the  room, 
when  her  father  called  her  back.  Addressing  his  wife, 
he  then  said:  "I  have  watched  for  years  this  growing 
tendency  to  disregard  my  wishes.  Rebecca  has  thrown 
me  out  of  millions  of  dollars  by  her  sympathy  for 
poverty  and  her  unpardonable  contempt  for  power; 
while  presidents  and  statesmen  are  subservient  to  my 
will,  she  alone  stands  out,  as  firm  as  the  rock  of  Gib- 
ralter.  You,  I  believe,  have  by  your  silence  allowed 
this  continual  disobedience  to  go  unchecked,  and  it  is 
now  my  tull  determination  to  stop  things  where  they 
are,  therefore  all  you  have  to  do  is  to  state  the  amount 
you  will  require,  and  since  our  union  has  ceased  to  be 
of  benefit  the  sooner  we  separate  the  better." 

This  was  just  what  Mrs.  Goldburg  was  expecting 
and  she  "knew  that  talk  would  be  futile.  The  father, 
she  knew,  would  accept  nothing  on  the  part  of 
Rebecca  but  unconditional  subjection  to  his  will ;  this 
she  could  not  grant.  She  had  long  believed  from  the 
drift  of  things  that  she  and  her  daughter  would  eventu 
ally  have  to  become  entirely  subservient  to  the  power 
of  money  which  had  so  completely  taken  hold  of  her 
husband  and  held  him  in  its  deadly  grasp,  or  a  dissolu 
tion  would  naturally  follow.  She  was  therefore,  in  a 
manner,  prepared  to  hear  such  a  proposition,  but  to 
name  an  amount  she  had  not  considered.  The  estate 
was  worth  several  millions  of  dollars  and  she  did  not 
care  to  answer  without  thinking  over  the  matter.  The 
millionaire  however  was  too  anxious  to  make  the  tradri 
before  some  lawyer  might  interfere,  and  continued: 

"You  may  have  this  property  (meaning  the  old  home] 
and  the  store  that  Col.  Bundy  is  running,  also  thA 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  277 

building  the  goods  are  in;  I  will  also  give  you  each  a 
check  for  $100,000  now  drawing  interest  in  the  bank. 
This  is  enough  for  anyone." 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Goldburg,  "I  have  always  claimed 
that  all  money  "and  property  above  a  competency  is  a 
curse  to  the  possessor.  I  therefore  should  be  satisfied. " 

Mr.  Goldburgpromptly  drew  two  checks  of  $100,000 
each,  presented^  them  and  also  drew  up  a  paper  for 
their  signatures,  releasing  him  from  further  claims. 
"This  evening,"  said  he,  "you  shall  have  your  deeds;" 
and  the  business  thus  completed,  he  moved  on  into  his 
office,  apparently  well  satisfied. 

There  had  been  times  in  bygone  days  when  a  scene 
like  this  would  have  broken  the  hearts  of  both,  but 
since  gold  and  greed  had  turned  the  heart  of  the  father 
and  husband  into  a  plutocratic,  domineering  boss,  it 
was  surely  a  relief  to  let  him  go. 

On  the  next  day  Mr.  Goldburg  had  the  papers  all 
made  out,  signed,  and  properly  turned  over  to  his  wife 
and  daughter;  then  proceeded  to  settle  up  his  business 
affairs  and  went  to  Boston,  where  he  afterwards  mar 
ried  an  actress;  but  continued  business  with  Messrs. 
Goldaker  &  Son. 

When  he  had  gone  Mrs.  Goldburg  and  daughter 
proceeded  to  take  stock  and  consider  their  great  pos 
sessions.  When  comparing  their  large  estate  of  about 
$270,000  to  the  millions  of  dollars  that  the  father  had 
kept  to  himself,  Mrs.  Goldburg  said  she  never  before 
comprehended  so  forcibly  what  an  immense  sum  a 
million  of  dollars  was,  and  what  gigantic  frauds  must 
have  been  perpetrated  in  Congress  in  order  to  procure 
legislation  that  would  enable  men  to  build  up  such  vast 
estates  in  so  short  a  time.  She  declared  that  Mr. 
Goldburg  had  given  nothing  in  return  for  the  vast 
property  that  he  now  held,  hence  some  one  was  surely 
robbed  and  that  some  one  was  the  American  people. 

Now  that  all  restraint  had  been  set  aside,  the  manner 
in  which  Col.  Bundy  had  been  robbed  loomed  up  be 
fore  Mrs.  Goldburg  as  a  monster  swindle.  Always, 
since  the  Colonel's  failure,  Mrs.  Goldburg  and  Rebecca 
had  felt  as  though  by  accompanying  Mr.  Goldburg  to 


278  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

the  farm  when  he  induced  the  Colonel  to  go  into 
business,  they  had  indirectly  assisted  him  and  were 
in  some  degree  responsible  for  the  Colonel's  misfortune. 

Looking  at  the  matter  from  this  standpoint,  a  mutual 
feeling  existed  to  do  something  for  Col.  Bundy  and 
family.  Mrs.  Goldburg  believed  he  was  robbed,  and  in 
order  to  satisfy  themselves  they  had  the  books  brought 
from  the  store,  and  on  examination  found  that  the 
Colonel's  losses  commenced  with  the  destruction  of 
greenbacks.  That  as  they  continued  to  withdraw 
greenbacks  from  year  to  year,  so  his  losses  continued, 
and  as  Mr.  Goldburg,  with  other  bankers,  had  put  up 
large  sums  of  money  to  secure  the  passage  of  that  act. 
and  as  many  millions  of  dollars  had  been  lost  by  others, 
all  over  the  country  during  the  same  period,  and  that 
bankers  all  over  the  country  had  at  the  same  time 
enjoyed  unparalleled  prosperity;  they  felt  it  was  safe 
to  conclude  that  the  same  law  which  had  robbed  the 
people  from  Maine  to  California  and  built  up  the  banks, 
had  also  robbed  t'.ie  Colonel  and  built  up  Mr.  Gold- 
burg's  bank. 

It  was  agreed  that  they  would  make  Mr.  Bundy  a 
present  of  the  entire  stock,  and  deed  the  building  over 
to  its  proper  owner,  Mr.  Stillwater,  taking  his  note  for 
a  small  sum.  A  few  days  after  the  transfer  of  the 
property,  Mrs.  Goldburg  and  Rebecca  called  on  Mrs. 
Bundy,  and  before  leaving,  presented  her  with  a  bill 
of  sale  of  the  entire  store.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bundy 
naturally  declined  the  gift  at  first,  but  after  an  expla 
nation  that  they  only  considered  it  a  return  of  property 
stolen,  she  accepted  it  with  many  thanks. 

After  Mr.  Goldburg' s  departure  home  affairs  went  on 
pretty  much  after  the  same  old  fashion.  For  years  he 
had  been  from  home  so  much,  and  was  so  selfish  and 
so  unsocial  when  at  home  that  his  absence  was  more 
of  a  relief  than  otherwise.  Now  that  her  father  was 
gone  Rebecca  made  every  possible  effort  to  increase 
her  mother's  happiness.  The  servants  also  enjoyed 
the  change. 

Since  the  Colonel  failed  the  friendship  between  the 
Bundy  and  Goldburg  families  had  not  been  of  the  most 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  27Q 

intimate  character,  but  now  the  two  families  met  as 
one.  They  were  also  on  better  terms  with  all  their 
neighbors,  and  it  was  noticeable  that  affairs  had  been 
vastly  improved  in  every  respect. 

Rebecca  had  ^always  paid  much  attention  to  the 
flower  garden,  and  now  that  she  felt  it  really  belonged 
to  her,  her  interest  increased  and  this  pastime  added 
largely  to  her  happiness,  as  well  as  her  correspondence 
with  Minnie  Sheppard. 

After  a  few  years  spent  in  this  pleasant,  but  aimless 
way,  Rebecca  received  the  following  letter: 

HOME  IN  IOWA, 

Sept.  4,  1 8— 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND:  I  had  such  a  strange  dream  last 
night,  if  it  was  a  dream.  I  seemed  to  awake  in  the 
night;  a  rich  glow  of  golden  light  was  spreading  in 
gentle  wavelets  throughout  the  room.  A  small  cloud 
from  which  the  light  emanated  stood  out  before  me 
and  as  it  dispersed  to  mingle  with  golden  light  and  add 
to  it  another  charm,  a  form  was  revealed  which  filled 
my  soul  with  joy,  love  and  confidence,  for  I  knew  it 
was  Jesus.  The  form  addressed  me,  saying:  "Behold 
thy  Savior;  see,  if  thou  wilt,  the  nail  holes  and  be 
convinced.  I  come  to  give  you  a  mission;  this  has 
been  my  chosen  people,  but  cruel  hearted  men  have 
been  installed  in  office;  a  golden  money  God  has  been 
set  up  for  the  worship  of  my  people;  my  churches 
have  been  desecrated  and  turned  into  dens  of  thieves 
for  money  worship.  Were  I  to-day  to  visit  these  plu 
tocratic  temples  as  I  did  long  years  ago  in  Judea,  they 
would  look  at  my  raiment  and  cry  out  as  of  old,  'give 
us  Barrabas.' 

"While  they  profess  to  preach  and  worship  in  my 
name,  they  suffer  my  little  children  to  starve  while  they 
hoard  up  wealth  which  they  do  not  need;  they  suffer 
thousands  of  my  good  people  to  be  in  want.  They  buy 
up  all  the  abundance  which  my  Father  has  caused  to 
grow  and  have  it  stored  in  great  houses  away  from  my 
people;  they  live  in  great  castles,  while  many  of  my 
good  people  have  no  place  to  lay  their  heads. 


280  AN     IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

"I  say  unto  you,  it  will  be  more  tolerable  for  the 
infidel  and  scoffer  in  the  day  of  judgment,  than  for 
these  hypocrites  who  pretend  to  worship  in  my  name, 
but  do  not  the  things  which  I  taught,  and  have  become 
but  a  plutocratic  hoarde. 

"Since  my  people  have  made  this  land  a  land  of 
gold  worship,  a  land  of  millionaires  and  paupers,  I  will 
give  them  a  little  time  to  wax  hot,  then  I  will  destroy 
their  golden  God  and  I  will  cleanse  this  land  with  fire. 

"Before  that  time  I  will  take  many  of  my  chosen 
ones  into  a  land,  even  to  Africa,  where  the  power  ot 
gold  has  been  destroyed;  where  man  lives  in  harmony 
with  his  fellow  men  and  gold  is  not  hoarded;  neither 
has  it  any  value  as  money;  where  plutocrats  are  unknown 
and  where  man's  productions  are  used  for  the  benefit 
of  man.  To  that  land  would  I  have  you  go." 

"Therefore  I  say  unto  thee,  take  thyself  and  thy 
chosen  friends,  go  unto  that  land  where  there  are  many 
pupils  and  few  teachers;  go,  I  say  and  I  will  put  words 
in  thy  mouth  and  thou  shalt  become  a  power  for  good 
in  the  hands  of  thy  God." 

Here  my  vision  ended  and  I  slept  sweetly  till  morn 
ing;  but  when  I  awoke  my  vision  was  on  my  mind  and 
I  could  not  forget  it;  so  I  wrote  to  the  New  York 
Ledger  to  find  out  if  the  new  Republic  would  be  a  safe 
place  in  which  to  travel.  You  will  see  the  answer  in 
the  last  number  of  that  paper. 

I  will  not  write  any  more  for  I  am  coming  to  see 
you.  Good  bye. 

Yours  affectionately, 

MINNIE. 

Rebecca  read  the  letter  to  her  mother,  who  laugh 
ingly  said:  "The  girl  is  crazy. " 

But  Rebecca  replied:  "It  matters  not,  mother,  when 
she  is  with  us,  she  will  get  over  it." 

The  subject  was  dropped.  Mrs.  Goldburg  probably 
never  gave  the  dream  a  second  thought;  but  to  Rebecca, 
it  seemed  to  have  a  fascination. 

She  read  the  letter  to  the  Bundys;  they  paid  no 
particular  attention  to  it.  Mrs.  Bundy  said:  "It  was 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  28l 

like  her  message;  the  minister  had  told  her  some  very 
strange  things  did  occur,  but  it  was  generally  conceded 
to  be  the  work  of  the  devil  and  not  safe  to  fool  with. " 

Of  course  this  did  not  concern  Mrs.  Bundy,  but 
Rebecca  took  a  different  view  of  the  matter.  In  her 
opinion,  a  message  received  from  some  unknown  intel 
ligence,  through  some  law  as  yet  not  fully  understood, 
it  was  hardly  fair  to  give  all  the  credit  to  the  devil; 
beside,  she  did  not  understand  how  the  ministei 
became  convinced  that  it  was  through  the  devil;  she 
was  not  altogether  satisfied. 

Another  week  elapsed  and  a  telegram  came  announc 
ing  that  Minnie  would  arrive  on  the  next  train.  Had 
it  been  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  Rebecca  and  her  mother 
could  not  have  been  more  delighted  to  receive  the 
visitor,  and  the  meeting  could  not  have  been  more 
joyful.  The  family  reception  over,  the  two  girls  went 
to  their  own  room.  Minnie  hastened  to  give  her  plans; 
she  said  she  could  not  drive  the  vision  from  her 
thoughts;  it  might  be  a  dream;  whether  it  was  or  not, 
she  had  been  taught  to  believe  the  Bible  to  be  true, 
and,  said  she:  "I  read  in  it  that  Jesus  appeared  tc  his 
disciples,  and  if  he  could  appear  to  them,  why  could 
he  not  appear  to  me?  I  believe  that  Jesus  spoke  to 
me,  and  I  believe  him  in  preference  to  those  who 
preach  chariry  while  practicing  selfishness  and  dispense 
entirely  with  justice.  If  I  find  myself  mistaken  I  may 
change  my  mind. 

"One  thing  I  do  not  understand;  that  is,  that  men 
who  claim  to  be  called  of  God  to  preach,  always  laugh 
and  ridicule  my  story  while  a  skeptic  says,  'that  is 
strange!'  Be  this  a  dream  or  be  it  fancy,  it  matters 
not;  it  is  a  new  country  and  teachers  are  in  demand. 
I  want  to  go  where  religion  is  not  a  mockery  and 
preachers  deal  more  with  justice;  less  with  dogma, 
more  for  love  and  less  for  fame.  The  Ledger's  answer 
to  my  question  is  that  the  Republic  is  considered  quite 
safe  to  travel  in,  even  for  ladies,  and  that  teachers  are 
in  demand.  I  am  going,  and  you  do  not  know  how 
glad  I  will  be  to  have  your  company.  I  have  been 
kept  in  idleness  all  my  life,  except  while  at  school, 


282  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

and  now  I  want  to  do  something  to  show  that  I  am  an 
individual  and  not  property." 

"I  rather  like  your  wild  scheme,"  said  Rebecca,  "may 
be  we  can  start  a  seminary  for  girls." 

"That's  it,"  said  Minnie,  full  of  enthusiasm,"  but 
how  do  you  think  your  mother  will  like  the  plan?" 

"I  can  hardly  say,"  said  Rebecca,  "she  will  laugh  at 
us,  but  you  know  both  of  us  can  present  the  case,  and 
she  can't  stand  much  coaxing;  beside,  she  has  for 
some  time  been  talking  about  a  sea  voyage.  I  can  see 
no  harm  in  taking  the  trip,  if  we  don't  like  the  country, 
and  if  we  do  there  is  nothing  I  should  like  so  well  as 
to  begin  a  school  in  a  new  country,  where  the  young 
mind  can  escape  the  slavery  of  churches  founded  upon 
creeds  which  have  been  formulated  in  a  semi-barbaric 
age.  Only  think  of  a  man  going  round  in  a  night 
gown  saying  one  thing  over  and  over  and  putting 
wafers  on  the  tongues  of  his  dupes." 

A  few  days  passed  pleasantly,  the  girls  spending  the 
most  of  their  time  in  the  flower  garden,  while  they 
speculated  on  the  prospect  of  an  active  life.  They 
were  agreed  upon  one  thing,  that  any  kind  of  a  life  of 
activity  was  better  than  this  subordinate  condition  and 
constant  inertia,  in  which  woman's  aspirations  are 
restrained  and  her  individuality,  in  a  measure,  lost. 

If  the  hope  of  meeting  in  travel  those  from  whom 
they  had  been  so  cruelly  separated  in  former  years 
found  a  place  in  their  minds,  that  hope  was  so  faint 
that  neither  considered  it  worth  mentioning.  The  two 
girls,  through  sad  disappointments,  had  reached  that 
condition  in  life  where  desperation  demanded  a  radical 
change.  Had  their  teachings  in  early  years  enslaved 
their  minds  as  do  infallible  dogmas  and  their  secrets, 
in  the  hands  of  some  powerful  priest,  they  would, 
perhaps,  have  been  an  easy  prey  to  superstition  and 
might  have  fallen  into  the  strong  embrace  of  some 
nunnery,  or  some  other  female  prison  of  the  same  char 
acter;  but  such  was  not  the  case.  Education  and  a 
free  interchange  of  thought  among  the  many  students, 
teachers  and  associates  of  different  beliefs,  had  turned 
their  thinking  faculties  loose,  and  when  the  intellect  is 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  283 

once  set  free,  its  course  is  ever  onward.  They  hoped 
to  be  so  situated  as  to  be  able  to  assist  in  spreading 
the  light  of  truth  and  to  reach  upward  after  that  higher 
knowledge  for  which  the  liberated  intellect  so  sin 
cerely  yearns.  -< 

After  talking  over  many  different  plans  and  discussing 
the  matter  in  every  conceivable  light,  a  plan  was  formu 
lated  and  the  two  girls  approached  the  mother.  Minnie 
was  spokesman  and  the  manner  in  which  she  presented 
the  subject  would  have  done  credit  to  even  a  Webster. 
She  first  drew  Mrs.  Goldburg's  attention  to  the 
improvement  in  both  health  and  spirits  that  would 
naturally  follow  a  sea-voyage,  how  the  changed  condi 
tion  would  relieve  their  minds  and  produce  a  good 
effect  generally;  the  scenery  and  travel  in  darker  Africa 
having  been  brought  into  full  view  and  made  accessi 
ble  by  the  resistless  hand  of  progress. 

Mrs.  Goldburg  had  been  advised  by  her  physician  to 
take  a  sea-voyage  and  had  been  thinking  seriously  of 
doing  so;  the  proposition  was  received  favorably  at 
once,  but  the  thought  of  going  to  Africa  was  one  which 
needed  time  for  consideration. 

Soon  alter,  Mrs.  Bundy  dropped  in,  and  being 
intormed  of  the  plan,  approved  it  at  once;  this  might 
be  attributed  in  part,  perhaps,  to  that  hope  which  so 
fondly  clings  to  the  mother's  heart  of  finding  her  lost 
boy,  and  seeing  in  this  a  possibility  of  realizing  the 
strange  prophecy  of  the  lady  medium,  she  looked  upon 
it  as  a  good  omen  and  hoped,  as  mothers  always  hope, 
when  others  all  despair.  A  few  weeks  of  discussion 
now  passed  and  it  was  decided  to  go;  the  word  went 
out  and  while  preparations  were  going  on  the  neighbors 
kept  dropping  in,  giving  their  opinions  and  wishing 
them  good  luck.  When  nearly  ready  and  the  firls 
were  feeling  that  every  obstacle  had  been  overcome, 
the  most  formidable  difficulty  of  all  was  encountered. 
A  spinster  in  the  neighborhood,  conspicuous  for  long 
prayers  and  earnest  attention  to  the  wants  of  her 
neighbors,  happened  in  at  Col.  Bundy's.  In  speaking 
of  the  contemplated  trip  of  the  Goldburg  family  to 
Africa,  Mrs.  Bundy  remarked  that  she  was  glad  they 


284  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

wers  going  for  she  now  had  a  faint  hope  of  realizing 
that  ever  present  dream,  awakened  in  her  heart  by  the 
dream  of  a  medium  or  fortuneteller.  This  was  enough 
to  horrify  the  spinster;  she  told  Mrs.  Bundy  that  she 
considered  it  downright  wicked  to  think  of  that  message 
as  being  anything  but  the  work  of  the  Devil. 

Mrs.  Bundy  saw  at  once  that  she  had  made  a  mistake 
but  it  was  too  late.  That  evening  the  spinster  called 
upon  the  minister  and  finding  him  at  home,  sitting  in 
his  easy  chair,  thinking,  no  doubt,  upon  some  deep 
subject,  trying  to  solve  the  question  as  to  how  much 
more  money  a  minister  ought  to  get  for  sitting  around 
in  idleness  half  of  his  time  during  the  week  and  doing 
a  very  moderate  day's  work  on  Sunday,  than  a  laboring 
man  could  earn  by  working  six  days  in  the  week  from 
daylight  till  dark,  with  no  time  to  cultivate  his  mind. 

When  the  lady  entered  the  presence  of  the  Parson, 
it  was  evident  that  something  of  importance  was  about 
to  be  disclosed.  She  seated  herself,  and  after  taking 
breath  and  composing  herself  she  began: 

"What  do  you  think?  I've  found  out  all  about  what 
is  taking  Mrs.  Goldburg  and  the  girls  to  Africa. 
When  Parson  Dingley  had  charge  here,  several  years 
ago,  Mrs.  Bundy  went  to  a  medium  and  received  a 
message  telling  her  that  her  absent  son  was  in  Africa; 
of  course  everybody  knew  the  message  came  from  the 
Devil,  but  Mrs.  Bundy  believes  in  it,  and  Mrs.  Gold- 
burg  and  Rebecca  are  .fairly  bewitched  with  it  yet; 
they  have  coaxed  the  other  girl  to  go,  and  I  think  it 
is  a  real  shame;  people  here  should  put  some  of  them 
in  the  insane  Asylum;  there  is  plenty  of  evidence.  I 
believe  Mr.  Goldburg  had  to  leave  his  wife  on  account 
of  her  crazy  notions,  and  the  church  lost  one  of  its 
best  paying  members  when  he  left;  to  be  sure  he  did 
not  give  so  very  much  money,  but  just  see  what  his 
influence  was  worth.  Every  rich  man  in  town  wanted 
to  belong  to  the  same  church  with  the  banker.  See 
how  Mrs.  Goldburg  did  about  that  property — gave  it  all 
to  the  Bundies  and  Mr.  Stillwater;  never  gave  the 
church  anythihg.  I  think  it  a  downright  sharne  and 
the  Devil  is  leading  them  into  Africa  to  punish  them 


AN     IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  285 

for  not  giving  all  that  property  to  the  church.  I  think 
they  ought  to  be  stopped  by  law  from  fooling  away 
their  money,  and  the  church  ought  to  attend  to  it. " 

It  was  a  matter  of  fact  that  the  minister  had  been 
receiving  very^  material  aid  from  Mrs.  Goldburg  and 
Rebecca  in  the  way  of  contributions,  and  anything 
which  would  detain  them  without  making  a  rupture 
between  them  and  the  church  would  be  greatly  to  his 
advantage;  so  he  took  it  upon  himself  to  visit  the 
family  and  make  a  vigorous  protest  to  their  going; 
he  was  received  with  courtesy  and  so  well  did  he  pre 
sent  his  objections  to  Mrs.  Goldburg  that  for  a  time 
the  girls  were  in  despair;  but  at  last  he  carried  his 
objections  too  far  for  Rebecca's  patience  and  when  she 
took  the  case  in  hand  it  proved  a  very  one-sided  affair 
and  the  minister  was  soon  vanquished. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

TT  WILL  be  remembered  that  in  the  close  of  a  former 
I?  chapter  Mr.  Baxter  left  the  country  for  the  ostensible 
purpose  of  forming  a  conspiracy  with  bankers  of  Lon 
don  to  destroy  the  usefulness  of  the  currency  of  the 
new  Republic  and  thereby  force  the  states  to  accept  a 
gold  standard,  also  the  English  banking  system  and 
land  laws;  that  he  was  accompanied  by  two  detectives, 
(we  might  here  add)  who  shadowed  him  through  the 
whole  trip. 

On  arriving  in  London  Mr.-  Baxter  obtained  an 
interview  with  some  leading  bankers;  they  took  but 
little  stock  in  his  proposition,  but  finally  consented  to 
try  the  experiment. 

The  services  of  some  of  the  very  best  artists  in  the 
country  were  secured  and  five  hundred  million  dollars 
of  the  best  counterfeit  was  struck  off  and  the  mails 
were  loaded.  So  well  had  his  actions  been  watched, 
the  mail  was  examined  before  it  was  allowed  to  land, 
and  all  letters  containing  counterfeit  money  were  taken 
to  the  treasury.  This  ended  the  job;  no  more  letters 
came.  After  a  few  weeks  Baxter  returned,  but  for 
some  reason  best  known  to  the  officials  was  not 
arrested,  and  at  once  resumed  business  where  he  had 
left  off.  Times  were  good  and  he  seemed  to  be  making 
money,  but  the  failure  of  the  plot  was  in  his  mind; 
defeat  rankled  in  his  bosom  and  he  kept  his  gold  buried 
awaiting  the  time  when  it  might  once  more  be  clothed 
with  power. 

Coy  and  Saunders  remained  at  the  Capitol  and  after 
the  failure  of  this  scheme,  spent  a  great  deal  of  their 
time  in  traveling  through  the  country,  watching  the 
progress  of  things,  trying  to  stir  up  discontent;  talked 
constantly  of  money  inflation,  honest  dollars,  sound 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  287 

currency,  etc.;  but  people  were  too  busy  to  pay  much 
attention,  seeming  only  to  listen;  it  reminded  them  of 
old  times.  However  this  did  not  discourage  the  gen 
tlemen  and  they  continued  to  lay  plans  for  strangling 
the  new  Republic,  by  establishing  a  gold  gambling 
banking  system  similar  to  that  which  had  been  used  in 
robbing  the  American  people  and  by  this  means  build 
up  an  aristocracy  in  which  they  themselves  would 
figure  as  leaders. 

A  few  years  of  unparalleled  advancement  and  pros 
perity  passed;  after  which  they  felt  that  the  time  had 
come  to  act;  the  Government  was  evidently  growing 
stronger,  beside  as  people  saw  the  great  advantages 
which  came  to  them  through  the  absence  of  monetary 
power,  vested  in  great  syndicates  and  millionaires,  and 
saw  too,  how  completely  these  great  dynasties  were 
prevented  from  forming  by  the  inheritance  and  income 
tax,  they  were  becoming  bitter  in  their  denunciation 
of  the  old  games  of  bankers  who  had  impoverished 
them  in  days  gone  by.  Others  who  were  deeply 
grounded  in  the  superstitious  worship  of  gold,  were 
beginning  to  forget  the  dogma,  growing  in  grace  and 
were  also  becoming  reconciled  to  the  changed  condition. 

Recognizing  these  facts,  Coy  and  Saunders  felt  there 
would  certainly  be  danger  in  delay,  so  the  two  managed 
to  meet  Mr.  Baxter  at  Summerville;  there,  locked  in 
private  apartments,  beyond  the  reach  of  listening  ears 
a  caucus  was  held. 

Mr.  Saunders  was  the  first  to  explain;  after  referring 
to  the  progress  of  the  country,  he  said  there  was 
something  to  work  for.  The  property  was  now  in 
sight  and  such  a  harvest  for  financiers  had  never  before 
been  heard  of,  except  it  might  be  in  the  United  States, 
while  working  the  rich  gold  and  silver  mines,  and: 
"Look,"  said  he,  "at  the  men  who  made  millions  out 
of  that;  by  a  little  nice  financiering  on  tbe  part  of 
English  bankers,  when  the  richest  mines  were  worked 
and  the  Bank  of  England  had  the  gold,  the  Americans 
the  experience,  and  had  become  the  debtor  nation; 
yes,  with  all  their  virgin  soil,  rich  mines,  immense 
productions  of  all  kinds,  they  became  the  debtor 


288  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

nation;  in  less  than  twenty-five  years  after  that  man 
Seyd  dropped  in  on  Congress,  button-holed  the  great 
Ohio  statesman,  and  through  him  controlled  the  finan 
cial  legislation  of  the  country. 

"I  need  hardly  refer  you  to  the  gold  interest  on  bonds, 
the  exception  clause  on  greenbacks,  the  strengthening 
act,  or  contraction,  or  redemption,  or  demonetization 
of  silver;  you  both  understand  it  all  and  know  how  it 
was  done;  one  robbery  after  another  and  the  American 
people  stood  it.  These  people  are  not  a  whit  smarter 
than  the  Americans  and  they  will  stand  it  too;  we 
only  want  to  stand  in  or  get  the  Bank  of  England  at 
our  backs,  the  machine  in  operation,  and  we  will 
gather  titles  to  property  as  easily  as  they  did  in  the 
United  States. 

"But  we  must  knock  in  the  head  this  bloody  Consti 
tution  and  have  gold  used  for  money;  we  can  corner 
it  and  people  will  be  compelled  to  have  it  back  to  do 
business  with;  then  we  can  dictate  price  and  terms; 
but  if  we  were  to  get  this  paper  money  all  in  the 
bank  the  Government  would  issue  more  and  the  business 
men  would  be  independent  of  us,  and  we  could  not 
affect  prices  an  iota,  for  there  would  still  be  plenty  of 
money  in  circulation. 

"We  must  have  banks  and  banks  are  no  good  unless 
we  can  control  the  price  of  labor  for  that  is  the  bottom 
of  all  value." 

"What  we  want,"  said  Baxter,  "is  clear  enough,  we 
all  know  how  the  thing  was  done  in  the  United  States; 
there  is  no  doubt  the  same  effect  would  follow  the 
same  kind  of  manipulation  here  if  we  had  the  same 
kind  of  government;  but  suppose  you  were  to  make  a 
millionaire  of  one  of  these  Senators  as  was  done  in  the 
United  States,  what  could  he  do?  There  is  the 
referendum  in  the  way;  to  carry  an  election  where 
there  were  regularly  organized  political  parties  was  an 
easy  matter,  all  that  was  necessary  was  to  buy  the 
leader;  but  here  the  candidates  are  all  independent 
and  stand  upon  their  personal  record,  or  merit;  to  say 
you  had  been  a  democrat  or  republican  for  forty  years 
would  be  laughed  at,  The  newspapers  all  have  plenty 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  289 

of  backing  and  you  can't  buy  them  as  you  could  in  the 
United  States  where  they  were  all  in  debt  to  the 
banks.  The  people  here  make  their  own  laws ;  they 
have  become  so  accustomed  to  using  paper  money  and 
shipping  theirgold  to  foreign  powers,  when  they  either 
get  a  big  price  for  it  in  such  things  as  they  need  or 
exchange  it  for  bonds  that  bring  back  a  yearly  interest. 
I  am  afraid  the  old  cry  of  sound  currency,  honest 
dollar  and  such  gags  would  have  but  little  effect. 
Why,  I  see  from  the  last  series  of  school  books  that 
this  great  gold  and  banking  swindle  is  so  completely 
exposed  that  twenty-five  years  from  now  a  man  would 
hardly  risk  his  reputation  by  advocating  gold  money 
and  national  banks  in  this  country;  every  school  boy 
would  laugh  at  him." 

"Yes,"  said  Saunders,  "we  must  modify  this  Consti 
tution  and  change  the  whole  system;  the  land  must  be 
deeded  over  to  the  people,  so  we  can  get  a  chance  at  it; 
we  must  have  titles  to  the  land,  we  must  have  gold  money 
and  national  banks,  and  we  must  also  have  the  power 
of  the  people,  through  their  Government,  to  accumu 
late  limited,  and  the  power  of  individuals  to  accumulate 
wealth,  unlimited;  then  we  can  soon  amass  money 
enough  on  the  outside  to  be  actually  stronger  than  the 
Government,  and  able  to  control  it.  This  done,  laws 
can  be  passed  in  the  interest  of  the  men  who  have  the 
gold.  Millionaires  will  then  spring  into  existence 
everywhere,  the  people  will  „  be  impoverished  and 
become  slaves.' 

"The  Government  will  become  the  dog  of  the  pluto 
crats  to  take  charge  of  the  masses  and  furnish  prisons 
for  those  who  have  been  robbed  of  their  property  and 
complain  of  being  out  of  work  and  are  hungry.  This 
has  all  been  accomplished  in  the  United  States,  and 
millionaires  there  to-day  are  enjoying  every  luxury  that 
wealth  can  give;  if  they  do  not  wish  to  reside  among 
their  slaves,  they  can  move  to  a  foreign  land  and  leave 
their  dog,  the  people's  Government,  to  watch  and  take 
care  of  their  sacred  property  rights.  Now  with  gold 
money,  English  land  law,  national  banks  and  unlimited 
inheritance,  I  believe  we  can,  with  the  assistance  of 


2QO  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

English  capital,  put  ourselves  as  absolutely  in  control 
of  this  people,  as  the  millionaires  are  of  the  American 
people.  But  we  must  have  the  entire  system  changed 
and  the  Constitution  doctored  or  destroyed;  to  accom 
plish  this  it  will  be  necessary  to  be  rid  of  Bundy, 
Lincoln,  Summerville  and  Jefferson.  If  we  were  rid  of 
these,  we  might  control  the  executive  and  by  not 
enforcing  the  laws  get  people  so  indignant  that  they 
would  be  finally  led  into  revolution;  then  with  a  body 
of  well  organized  men  burn  the  Capitol  and  destroy  all 
records;  upon  the  heels  of  this  call  for  volunteers, 
organize  an  army  to  protect  the  Government;  then  in 
rebuilding  the  Government  use  English  money  and 
get  in  your  work;  see  to  it  that  the  new  Constitution 
contains  what  we  desire,  and  from  that  on  we  will  have 
clear  sailing.  People  will  be  easily  excited  under  such 
circumstances,  and  when  a  report  is  circulated  that  the 
Government  is  about  to  deed  their  land  away  to  some 
great  syndicate  they  will  all  demand  a  title  and  that 
will  settle  the  land  question,  for  when  the  land  is  once 
deeded  we  can  issue  bonds  the  same  as  they  did  in  the 
United  States.  Every  man  that  has  money  to  spare 
will  invest  it  in  these  bonds;  then  when  money  becomes 
scarce  the  bonds  will  pass  into  the  hands  of  moneyed 
men  who  will  use  them  to  bank  on,  and  with  a  national 
banking  law  like  that  of  the  United  States,  will 
receive  money  from  the  Government  at  i  per  cent  and 
loan  it  to  the  people  at  8  per  cent;  also  take  mort 
gages,  but  then,  what  is  the  use  to  talk,  you  both 
know  just  how  it  was  done  in  the  United  States." 

Baxter,  who,  notwithstanding  his  long  association 
with  crime,  still  had  a  small  degree  of  national  pride, 
becoming  slightly  worried  at  hearing  an  Englishman 
refer  so  often  to  these  disgraceful  acts  of  robbery  that 
had  been  forced  through  the  American  House  by  the 
terrible  pressure  of  the  money  power,  paid: 

"Well,  what  do  you  propose  to  do,  have  you  any  plan?" 

"Yes,"  said  Saunders,  "but  it  will   take    time,     Coy 

and    myself    have    been   talking  the  matter  over  for  a 

long  time;  the  bankers  of  the    world    have    so    much 

money    invested    in   newspapers,  and  money  loaned  to 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  2QI 

others,  and  still  others  which  they  advertise  in,  it  is 
safe  to  say,  they  control  the  press  of  civilization. 
This  is  a  power  to  be  both  feared  and  respected.  We 
believe  that  when  rightly  informed  of  the  wealth  and 
growing  greatness  of  the  Republic  they  can  be  easily 
enlisted  in  the  cause  and  no  stone  will  be  left  unturned 
to  carry  out  our  plans.  Our  first  plan  was  to  control 
the  press  of  this  country,  but  the  objection  to  that  is, 
the  principal  papers  are  owned  by  joint-stock  compa 
nies  and  have  an  abundance  of  capital  and  good  sup 
port;  but  being  in  good  circumstances  and  working 
for  a  salary,  they  would  be  hard  men  to  approach;  even 
if  you  were  to  buy  one  or  two  the  balance  of  the  press 
of  the  country  would  be  turned  on  them  and  the 
Department  would  be  forced  to  remove  them;  in  fact, 
public  sentiment  has  been  so  thoroughly  moulded  in 
favor  of  the  new  system  that  even  the  press  would  be 
instantly  antagonized  by  the  people,  if  it  failed  to 
work  in  their  interest. " 

"The  principal  objection  that  occurs  to  me,"  said 
Baxter,  "is  that  the  limit  to  inl  eritance  has  checked 
man's  everlasting  greed;  put  people  more  on  a  level. 
As  the  struggle  for  money  ha  >  been  modified  among 
the  rich,  the  struggle  for  a  living  among  the  poor  has 
entirely  ceased.  To  tell  the  truth,  in  traveling  through 
the  cities,  towns  and  country,  it  seems  to  me  there  are 
no  poor,  at  least  every  one  has  a  home  and  I  have 
never  heard  the  word  charity  since  I  have  been  here, 
except  in  a  religious  sense." 

"True,"  said  Saunders,  "this  inheritance  law  has 
been  one  of  the  main  obstacles  in  our  way  all  along; 
then  comes  the  income  tax,  national  money,  Govern 
ment  control  of  stock  companies  and  sale  of  stock 
among  the  people;  in  fact,  the  whole  system  is  nega 
tive  to  the  formation  of  a  favored  class  as  in  England, 
or  the  United  States,  and  it  must  be  destroyed,  by  fair 
means  if  we  can,  by  foul  means  if  we  must. 

"The  plan  that  we  have  hit  upon  is  that  you  take 
another  trip  to  England.  Of  course  it  would  hardly 
do  for  either  of  us  to  show  ourselves  in  that  country 
yet,  but  if  these  bankers  see  they  can  use  us  in  destroy- 


2Q2  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC, 

ing  this  system  and  founding  a  government  here  like 
the  United  States,  based  upon  the  English  land  laws, 
gold  money  and  banking  system,  we  will  become 
millionaires  as  suddenly  as  John  Sherman  did  with  a 
$5,000  salary;  so  we  must  keep  in  the  back  ground 
uatil  you  have  the  business  well  under  way;  then  they 
will  need  us,  and  the  fact  of  our  being  able  to  get 
away  with  a  pile  of  English,  as  well  as  American  gold, 
will  only  be  to  our  credit  and  they  will  recognize  in  us 
men  worthy  of  becoming  members  of  the  great  bank 
ing  fraternity. 

"This  country  to-day  furnishes  the  world  to  a  great 
extent  with  cotton,  sugar,  rice,  tobacco,  beef,  bacon 
and  flour;  we  are  also  shipping  gold  and  silver  in 
large  quantities,  and  all  this  business  is  carried  on 
without  one  dollar  of  foreign  capital.  In  addition  to 
this  the  iron,  copper  and  lead  mines  are  extensive,  with 
an  abundance  of  lead  and  coal;  in  consequence  of  this 
steel,  car  and  locomotive  works,  also  wagon  and  farm 
machinery  works;  they  also  have  manufactories  of 
every  description. 

"The  bad  feature  seems  to  be  from  the  banker's 
standpoint  and  is,  that  through  the  natural  savings  of 
the  people,  the  stock  which  represents  all  this  business 
has  been  absorbed;  you  can  not  monopolize  it,  for  if 
you  hold  above  a  certain  quantity  the  income  tax  takes 
your  interest,  and  to  save  yourself  you  are  forced  to 
turn  some  of  it  back  into  the  treasury,  only  to  see  a 
lot  of  old  hay-seeds  come  along  and  buy  it  for  their 
son,  John  or  daughter,  Jane.  Bankers  and  money 
speculators  you  see  are  entirely  shutout;  this  however 
will  all  be  in  our  favor  in  getting  backing  from  the 
money  power." 

"Speaking  of  this  stock,"  said  Coy,  "reminds  me  of 
a  very  peculiar  run  that  I  noticed  last  winter.  This 
stock,  you  see,  all  has  coupons  that  fall  due  on  the  first 
of  December;  all  through  that  month  people  of  all 
shades  and  conditions  could  be  seen  going  to  the 
treasury  to  cash  their  coupons.  If  you  interrogated 
them  you  would  find  that  nine  out  of  ten  of  them 
would  use  it  in  buying  Christmas  presents,  and  the 


AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

whole  people  are  learning  to  await  Christmas  as  cattle 
look  for  the  early  coming  of  grass. " 

"Yes,"  said  Saunders,  "I  have  noticed  that,  and  it 
looks  to  me  like  sheer  nonsense  to  thus  scatter  money 
among  the  common  people.  I  think  we  should  make 
a  note  of  all  these  things  and  reduce  it  to  writing  so 
that  Mr.  Baxter  will  miss  nothing  in  making  his  state 
ment  to  the  bankers  of  London. " 

"It  is  quite  clear  to  me,"  said  Coy,  "that  unless  some 
check  is  put  to  this  Republic,  in  a  few  years  it  will  be 
supplying  the  markets  of  the  world  with  all  kinds  of 
goods  and  produce,  barring  every  kind  of  competition. 

"As  it  is,  only  their  own  surplus  is  shipped  in  their 
own  vessels  the  price  received  will  be  of  no  great 
importancs  to  a  people  who  import  little  or  nothing, 
sell  all  their  gold  and  silver  product,  pay  no  tribute  or 
interest  and  have  unlimited  capital  of  their  own. 
Men  of  all  trades  can  work  cheaper  here  than  in  any 
other  place  in  the  known  world,  because  every  man  owns 
his  own  home,  pays  no  rent,  no  interest;  but  to  the 
contrary  receives  a  regular  5  per  cent  dividend  on  all 
his  savings.  Talk  about  pauper  labor;  there  are  no 
business  men  on  earth,  with  pauper  labor,  who  can 
pay  taxes,  rent  and  interest  and  compete  with  these 
people.  These  facts  are  already  being  noticed  by  the 
money  power,  and  if  all  the  facts  in  the  case  are 
properly  presented,  we  will  have  the  bankers  of  the 
world  at  our  backs;  if  these  fanatics  think  that  the 
moneyed  classes,  who  have  reared  their  children  in 
luxury  for  ages,  will  allow  themselves  to  be  robbed  of 
their  property  rights,  see  the  good  things  of  life  given 
up  to  the  use  and  enjoyment  of  the  common  herd, 
either  by  legislation,  or  any  other  way,  they  are 
mistaken. " 

Without  further  discussion  it  was  arranged  that 
Baxter  should  go  to  England  at  once.  In  a  few  days, 
everything  being  in  readiness,  Baxter,  armed  with  such 
papers  as  Coy  and  Saunders  had  carefully  prepared, 
took  a  steamer  for  England.  On  reaching  London  he 
presented  himself  at  once  to  Baron  Rothschild;  the 
cordiality  of  his  reception  was  to  him  a  great  surprise. 


2Q4  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

They  talked  over  the  failure  of  the  counterfeit  scheme; 
the  banker  said  since  that  time  the  banks  had  been 
reaping  such  a  rich  harvest  in  the  United  States  that 
they  had  paid  no  further  attention  to  African  affairs. 
He  was  very  glad  Mr.  Baxter  and  Jiis  friends  had 
deemed  it  time  to  make  another  effort. 

"We,"  said  the  Banker,  "were  considerably  sur 
prised  the  other  day  by  a  cablegram  from  America  to 
the  effect  that  an  envoy  from  the  new  Republic  had 
arrived  in  New  York  with  an  immense  quantity  of  gold 
which  they  made  an  effort  to  exchange  for  Government 
bonds  bearing  interest;  failing  in  this,  they  succeeded 
in  exchanging  for  western  State  and  County  bonds. 
We  cabled  our  agent  in  New  York  to  offer  them  Eng 
lish  bonds,  but  they  declined,  saying  their  first  object 
was  to  dispose  of  their  gold  in  such  a  manner  as  to  be 
able  to  draw  upon  it  in  case  of  famine,  or  failure  of 
crops,  and  as  England  could  not  produce  enough  for 
her  own  people,  they  could  never  count  on  assistance 
from  that  source;  we  look  upon  this  as  the  best  joke 
of  the  season. 

"Upon  receipt  of  this  news  I  made  up  my  mind  that 
this  new  Republic  should  be  looked  after  at  once  and 
am  very  glad  you  have  taken  the  matter  in  hand;  here 
tofore  the  Republic  has  been  quite  a  relief  to  us,  by 
draining  the  United  States  of  its  surplus  labor 
that  had  been  superseded  by  a  cheaper  class;  it  has 
also  assisted  us  materially  in  securing  title  to  lands 
(by  attracting  the  owners),  which  will  furnish  a  nice 
income  in  the  shape  of  rent  for  all  time  to  come.  Of 
course  we  do  not  receive  this  rent  direct;  we  have  not 
come  to  that  yet,  but  others  do  and  that  enables  them 
to  pay  interest  on  bonds,  bank  stock,  etc." 

"I  am  very  glad, "  said  Mr.  Baxter,  "that  your  schemes 
in  the  United  States  have  been  a  success,  as  you  will 
be  the  more  willing  to  give  us  your  assistance." 

"Exactly,"  said  the  Banker,  "but  large  bodies  move 
slowly  and  you  must  not  be  impatient  of  immediate 
results.  At  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war  we 
owned  nothing  in  the  United  States;  since  then  our 
efforts  to  control  that  country  have  been  incessant^ 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

to- day  we  own  all  their  richest  mines,  a  large  share  of 
all  public  works,  such  as  railroads,  telegraphs,  city 
water  works,  etc.;  in  addition  to  this,  all  their  vast 
product  of  gold  and  silver  is  carefully  stored  within 
our  vaults.  It  is  like  the  Veiled  Prophet,  the  Ameri 
cans  never  see  it,  and  for  this  reason  their  worship  of 
it  is  more  intensified.  Their  manufacturers  are  pro 
tected  by  a  heavy  tariff,  which  enables  them  to  form 
great  pools  and  crush  small  enterprises.  These  pools 
borrow  money  from  our  banks  which  gives  us  quite  a 
large  tribute;  we  even  own  their  business,  and  every 
man  who  drinks  a  glass  of  beer  pays  us  tribute. 
When  you  take  into  consideration  the  fact  that  this  has 
all  been  accomplished  by  careful  financiering  and  that 
the  civilized  world  has  been  largely  fed  am  cloth_d 
from  American  products,  during  this  same  period,  you 
can  scarcely  fail  to  see  that  we  have  a  money  system 
that  is  invincible.  I  also  would  call  your  attention  ^o 
the  fact,  that  while  we  have  actually  captured  one- 
third  of  the  oroperty  and  business  of  the  United  States 
the  English  indebtedness  to  us  has  been  largely 
increased,  and  there  is  not  a  civilized  government  on 
the  face  of  the  earth  which  Joes  not  pay  tribute  to  the 
golden  god  we  keep  safely  locked  in  our  vaults. 
From  this,  no  matter  how  slowly  our  work  in  the  new 
Republic  may  appear  to  nove,  you  will  understand 
that  the  power  of  gold  acting  upon  superstition  is 
omnipotent,  and  you  need  not  despair  of  the  result." 

Notwithstanding  Mr.  Baxter  had  been  completely 
awe-struck  in  the  presence  of  the  great  gold  king,  or 
monarch  of  monarchs,  he  here  ventured  to  say  that  to 
him  the  worship  of  gold,  supposed  to  be  safely  stored 
in  vaults  and  actually  had  an  existence,  was  more 
sensible  than  worshiping  a  God  who  seems  to  have  no 
existence. 

"That  is  true,"  said  the  great  gold  king.  "I  have 
heard  good  Christians,  Mohammedans,  and  others  call 
ing  upon  their  God  day  after  day,  week  after  week, 
month  after  month  and  year  after  year,  and  the  only 
answer  was  the  echo  of  their  own  faint  voice;  when  I 
call  upon  my  gold  bags,  I  always  meet  with  a  quick 


296  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

response.  I  would  not  interfere  with  any  man's 
belief,  but  gold  is  my  god  and  I  believe  that  more  men 
worship  gold  than  any  other  god. " 

The  banker  now  set  out  a  box  of  cigais,  after  which 
he  dismissed  Mr.  Baxter  with  a  promise  that  the 
papers  should  be  examined  at  once;  he  also  invited 
him  to  call  at  six  in  the  evening. 

Mr.  Baxter  retired  to  his  apartments  in  the  hotel 
where  he  was  interviewed  in  the  afternoon  by  a  num 
ber  of  reporters;  agents  of  brokers  also  dropped  in, 
having  seen  his  name  quoted  among  the  arrivals  from 
the  new  Republic.  They  desired  to  purchase  such 
an  amount  of  national  money  of  the  Republic  as  he 
might  happen  to  have,  stating  that  it  was  in  great 
demand  among  the  merchants,  as  they  could  buy  goods 
from  the  great  shipping  company  of  the  Republic  at  5 
per  cent  less  with  that  than  with  gold;  this  surprised 
Mr.  Baxter,  as  he  had  always  been  taught  when  young 
by  American  statesmen,  that  money  to  be  good  in  a 
foreign  country  had  to  be  made  of  gold  or  silver ;  when 
he  became  a  man  he  was  told  that  money  must  be 
made  of  gold  alone  to  be  an  honest  dollar  and  good 
the  world  over;  now  he  was  confronted  with  a  new 
problem.  Here  were  men  in  London,  wanting  to  buy 
paper  money  of  the  Republic  and  offering  its  face 
value,  in  small  sums,  or  i  per  cent  premium  for  large 
quantities;  he  could  hardly  comprehend  how  a  piece 
of  paper  the  size  of  a  one  dollar  bill  could  be  worth 
$101  in  gold. 

"Why,"  said  he,  "it  is  nothing  but  paper." 

"Yes,"  said  the  banker,  "and  this  coin  is  nothing 
but  gold;  the  paper  will  buy  more  goods  than  the  gold 
in  the  new  Republic,  and  that  is  why  we  want  it. " 

At  twenty  minutes  past  six  Mr.  Baxter  once  more 
started  out  to  call  upon  the  Banker;  as  he  passed  one 
of  the  great  hotels,  he  stopped  at  a  cigar  store,  ordered 
some  cigars,  and  happening  to  have  a  $20  gold  piece 
in  his  pocket,  put  it  down;  the  shop  man  picked  up 
the  coin,  examined  it  carefully,  then  said: 

"This  is  an  American  coin." 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  Baxter.      He  was  then   informed  by 


AN   IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  2Q7 

the  shop-keeper  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  take  the 
coin  to  tha  Broker  and  exchange  it  for  English  coin; 
the  fee  for  exchange  would  probably  be  twenty-five 
cents.  Here  again  Mr.  Baxter's  early  teaching  in 
regard  to  honest  dollars  had  been  a  myth  and  in  a 
jocular  manner  he  drew  from  his  pocket  a  $20  bill  from 
the  new  Republic.  Throwing  it  upon  the  counter  he 
sarcastically  said:  "How  do  you  like  that  kind  of 
money?" 

The  shop-keeper  examined  it  and  asked  Mr.  Baxter 
if  he  was  from  the  new  Republic.  Being  answered  in 
the  affirmative,  and  also  informed  that  he  arrived  on 
the  steamer  Queen  of  the  Seas,  the  day  before  at 
Liverpool.  Asking  his  name,  the  shop-keeper  picked 
up  a  paper  announcing  the  arrival  of  the  steamer,  and 
finding  Mr.  Baxter's  name  among  the  list  of  passengers 
concluded  the  bill  was  all  right. 

While  the  two  were  engaged  in  further  conversation 
a  boy  took  the  bill  into  the  next  door,  which  was  the 
office  of  a  wholesale  cigar  store,  where  it  was  cashed, 
returned,  and  Mr.  Baxter  given  the  change  in  clear 
English  coin. 

"How  is  this?"  said  Baxter,  "that  you  take  paper 
money  from  the  Republic  in  preference  to  American 
gold?" 

"Because,"  said  the  shop  man,  "there  is  a  large 
company  in  the  Republic  which  has  complete  control 
of  the  trade  between  that  country  and  this;  I  am  told 
they  have  an  office  in  every  important  shipping  port 
throughout  the  world;  their  business  is  carried  on  like 
machinery;  they  ship  all  their  goods  on  their  own 
vessels  and  everything  is  conducted  with  system  and 
true  business  principle  of  justice  to  all  and  favor  to 
none;  they  buy  and  sell  on  so  large  a  scale  that  com 
petition  is  out  of  the  question.  Of  course  they  take 
our  money  but  never  send  it  out  of  the  country;  on  the 
contrary  they  turn  it  into  goods  and  ship  the  goods; 
they  always  sell  goods  at  5  per  cent  less  when  it  is 
paid  in  money  from  the  Republic,  or  in  other  words, 
pay  a  5  per  cent  premium  on  money  of  the  Republic; 


298  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

this  is  what  makes  their  money  worth  more  than  gold 
the  world  over. 

"I  am  told  that  they  have  such  fine  government  and 
business  methods  at  home  that  no  time  is  lost  on  the 
part  of  the  toilers;  they  all  have  an  opportunity  of 
investing  their  savings  in  the  stock  of  the  company  for 
which  they  work  and  the  dividend  on  their  stock  soon 
becomes  an  important  factor  in  life.  In  consequence 
of  this  many  of  our  best  tradesmen  in  every  branch  of 
industry  have  emigrated  to  that  country  and  send 
back  glowing  accounts.  They  say  they  have  the  finest 
machinery  in  the  world  and  make  it  themselves;  work 
eight  hours  per  day  and  every  man  is  kept  constantly 
employed;  as  a  result  of  this,  their  exports  largely 
exceed  their  imports,  and  it  is  only  by  accident  that 
we  get  hold  of  any  of  their  money  in  buying  it  from 
travelers  here  at  the  hotels,  the  brokers  occasionally 
make  a  little  money. " 

It  would  naturally  be  supposed  that  such  talk  as  this 
would  set  Baxter  to  thinking  and  turn  him  from  his 
course.  It  will  be  remembered,  however,  that  he  had 
already  cast  his  lot  with  the  money  power;  he  was 
already  committed  to  the  gold  standard;  he  dare  not 
falter,  he  dare  not  stop.  The  gold  power  had  in  «a 
measure  controlled  the  world  for  ages  and  it  was 
stronger  to-day  than  it  had  ever  been.  It  had  cap 
tured  the  great  American  states,  why  should  he  doubt 
of  its  ultimate  success  in  crushing  this  new  system? 
Notwithstanding  he  found  many  reasons  for  continuing 
in  the  course  already  mapped  out,  when  his  mind  took 
in  the  old  cry  of  honest  money  and  sound  currency, 
raised  by  the  wise  statesman,  and  contrasted  that  with 
his  late  experience,  he  could  not  help  saying:  "What 
a  set  of  donkeys  these  American  statesmen  are. " 

On  reaching  the  Banker's  office  he  found  the  million 
aire  in  the  very  best  humor  and  after  a  little  desultory 
conversation  the  Banker  informed  Baxter  that  he  had 
examined  the  papers  and  partly  agreed  with  them; 
that  he  felt  the  time  had  come  when  the  gold  power 
should  assert  its  rights;  this  cancer  upon  the  body 
politic  of  the  world  must  be  removed;  that  he  had 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  299 

called  a  convention  of  bankers  for  Monday  next. 
"The  bankers  of  Germany  and  France,"  said  he,  "will 
be  represented  and  I  am  confident  some  step  will  be 
taken;  what,  I  cannot  tell,  but  think  we  will  likely 
send  a  committee  back  with  you  to  feel  of  the  Govern 
ment  and  suggest  plans." 

This  gave  Baxter  an  opportunity  of  visiting  different 
parts  of  the  city,  and  he  declared  to  a  companion  that 
the  city  was  actually  barbarous  in  comparison  with 
Summerville,  Kiyongo  or  the  other  great  cities  ot  the 
Republic.  Monday  at  last  arrived,  and  Baxter  found 
himself  once  more  among  the  bankers.  The  meeting 
was  a  large  one;  over  fifty  men  present;  all  bankers 
and  millionaires.  After  the  meeting  came  to  order  the 
paper  was  read  which  had  been  so  carefully  prepared 
by  Saunders  and  Coy,  in  which  they  gave  a  detailed 
account  of  property  which  had  sprung  into  existence 
as  if  by  magic;  gave  a  careful  description  of  their  form 
of  Government;  how  completely  it  operated  to  throttle 
capital  and  destroy  the  power  of  gold.  In  terse  words 
it  was  declared  that  the  new  methods  of  business  and 
government  were,  to  concentrated  wealth,  as  fatal  as 
machinery  and  imported  workers  had  been  to  labor  in 
the  United  States;  that  unless  checked  the  Republic 
would  ship  their  vast  product  of  gold  to  other  countries, 
and  so  inflate  the  money  of  the  world  as  to  materially 
decrease  its  value,  positively  refusing  to  use  the  article 
themselves,  for  any  purpose,  except  for  filling  teeth. 

After  the  reading  was  concluded,  Mr.  Baxter  was 
introduced.  He  stated  that  he  and  his  associates, 
Saunders  and  Coy,  had  owned  mines  in  the  Republic; 
they  had  made  quite  a  sum  of  money,  but  finding 
themselves  limited  by  the  inheritance  law,  they  sold 
out  their  mines  and  since  that  time  had  been  "lying  on 
their  oars,"  awaiting  an  opportunity  to  secure  favorable 
legislation.  "But,"  said  he,  "the  Republic  is  con 
stantly  growing  stronger;  it  has  not  only  destroyed 
banking,  and  in  fact  all  monetary  control  at  home,  but 
from  its  present  growth  there  were  good  reasons  for 
grave  apprehension  on  the  part  of  the  money  power 
of  the  world.  Having  watched  the  thing  for  years,  he 


300  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

declared  it  to  be  his  belief  that  further  delay  was 
dangerous;  sure  as  the  world  moves,  if  this  new 
Republic  continues  its  growth  for  twenty  years,  it  will 
show  a  front  worthy  the  steel  of  any  power." 

It  was  plain  to  Baxter  that  his  talk  had  its  weight; 
the  faces  around  him  were  long  as  the  moral  law  and 
he  began  to  realize  the  fact  that  he  had  found  the 
place  where  the  money  laws  of  the  world  were  made. 
It  also  occurred  to  him  that  this  was  the  place  from 
which  some  of  the  great  American  statesmen  and 
financiers  received  their  inspiration,  and  this  accounted 
to  some  extent  for  a  United  States  Senator  becoming 
a  millionaire  off  an  annual  salary  of  $5,000. 

When  Mr.  Baxter  had  finished,  he  was  put  upon  the 
witness  stand  and  questions  came  thick  and  fast  from 
all  directions.  The  first  interrogation  was,  quite 
naturally,  in  regard  to  the  extent  and  richness  of  the 
gold  mines.  Mr.  Baxter  informed  them  that  as  yet 
there  were  vast  regions  of  unexplored  country;  that  the 
gold  fields  already  developed,  were  probably  equal  in 
richness  and  extent  to  those  of  California  and  were 
already  yielding  large  quantities  of  gold;  whether  the 
unexplored  country  would  prove  equal  in  richness  and 
extent  to  Montana,  Idaho,  Dakota,  Colorado  and  other 
gold  producing  states  and  territories  of  the  United 
States  remained  to  be  seen.  It  was  evident  that  under 
the  present  form  of  government  they  would  not  be 
developed  tor  years  to  come,  for  the  simple  reason 
that  the  Government  so  completely  and  systematically 
controls  the  business  of  the  country,  backing  every 
enterprise  with  all  the  money  necessary  to  the  end 
*,hat  every  man  in  the  cou.itry  should  have  constant 
Employment. 

"There,  statesmen  argue,"  said  Baxter,  "that  where 
all  are  kept  constantly  employed,  where  transportation 
and  commerce  are  honestly  and  systematically  carried 
on,  there  can  be  but  one  result,  an  excess  of  exports 
and  home  prosperity  among  the  masses. 

"While  this  is  the  case  few  men  will  abandon  society, 
home  and  friends  to  hunt  for  gold.  Having  lived  from 
youth  to  maturity  on  the  fat  of  the  land,  producing 


AN     IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  3OI 

nothing  themselves,  but  consuming  in  luxury  the  pro 
ductions  of  their  fellow  men  and  women,  through  the 
power  of  gold,  acting  upon  superstition,  it  could  hardly 
be  considered  strange  that  not  one  of  these  financiers 
entertained  a  doubt  as  to  their  ability,  through  the 
power  of  gold  to  crush,  if  need  be,  the  new  Republic. " 

Without  noticing  that  matter  they  proceeded  to 
discuss  the  advisability  of  opening  these  rich  gold 
mines.  One  said  that  there  was  gold  enough  now. 
Their  vaults  were  full;  besides,  what  matters  it  as  to 
the  size  of  the  pile,  when  all  values  are  measured  by 
it,  all  money  based  upon  it? 

"As  the  business  of  the  world  is  done  on  credit  and 
all  dues  are  made  payable  in  gold,  and  having  the  bulk 
of  the  metal  in  our  possession  we  can  fix  its  price  and 
that  price  we  will  have,  for  there  is  no  other  source 
from  which  gold  can  be  obained.  Then  why  not 
secure  a  title  to  the  land  and  put  a  wall  around  these 
mines?  It  will  be  worth  as  much  in  the  ground  as  in 
our  vaults  and  should  give  greater  confidence,  for 
people  will  know  we  can't  spend  or  fool  it  away.  We 
can  estimate  the  amount  of  gold  by  what  has  been 
taken  out  of  the  mines  in  the  United  States  and 
Australia.  If  we  can  build  a  wall,  succeed  in  keeping 
it  beyond  the  reach  of  the  common  herd,  we  can  issue 
gold  certificates  to  the  full  value  of  the  gold." 

"What  will  you  do  with  the  gold  certificates?"  asked 
a  voice.  "That  is  plain,"  said  the  learned  financier, 
"we  can  loan  them  to  the  United  States  to  be  used  as 
gold  money."  "How  will  you  redeem  them?"'  asked 
another. 

"I  would  have  our  Secretary  write  at  once  to  John 
Sherman,  Grover  Cleveland,  Carlisle,  McKinley,  Har 
rison,  Vorhees  and  others  of  our  members  in  the 
United  States,  have  them  demonetize  silver  and  secure 
a  large  issue  of  bonds;  then  we  will  buy  the  bonds 
with  these  certificates;  they  will  be  good  of  course, 
because  they  represent  gold." 

"In  redeeming  them  how  would  you  proceed?"  was 
asked  by  another  voice. 

"That    is    easji '    said   the  financier.     "Suppose  the 


302  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

bonds  run  forty  years,  the  interest  at  3  per  cent;  they 
will  pay  the  certificates  all  back  to  us  as  interest  long 
before  the  bonds  are  due,  then  they  will  have  to  bor 
row  them  again  to  pay  the  bonds  with.  Of  course  the 
next  thing  will  be  to  issue  more  bonds,  which  we  will 
again  buy,  thus  keeping  the  certificates  in  circulation. 
I  have  studied  finance  for  over  forty  years  and  I  have 
noticed  that  the  gold  always  lays  in  the  vaults  and  the 
business  of  the  world  is  largely  done  with  paper 
representing  gold;  this  being  the  case,  it  has  long 
since  occurred  to  me  that  a  vast  amount  of  labor  might 
be  saved  by  this  method.  Why  goto  this  great  expense 
of  taking  the  gold  from  one  hiding  place  and  putting 
it  in  another?  Why  take  it  from  the  earth  and  put  it 
in  a  vault?  I  tell  you,  gentlemen,  this  redeeming 
money  is  all  nonsense;  as  long  as  people  live  they  will 
want  money,  and  as  long  as  they  want  it  there  is  no 
necessity  for  its  redemption.  If  we  can  get  control  of 
the  legislation  in  this  new  Republic,  as  we  did  in  the 
United  States,  we  can  own  the  whole  country,  people 
and  all,  inside  of  twenty  years;  and  I  would  suggest 
that  the  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  issue  an  immense 
quantity  of  paper  money,  get  it  into  circulation  by 
building  a  wall  to  protect  the  gold  mines,  keep  a  few 
trusty  experts  busy  exploring  the  mines,  and  through 
the  associated  press  and  our  gigantic  dailies,  keep  the 
people  of  the  world  well  posted  in  regard  to  the  vast 
quantities  of  gold  we  possess;  call  every  man  a  crank 
who  dares  to  dispute  it.  We  can  then  furnish  the 
world  with  money  and  stop  this  everlasting  talk  about 
gold  being  scarce." 

As  no  one  seemed  inclined  to   oppose  this  plan,  the 
subject  was  dropped  for  the  time. 

Another  gentleman  whose  build  was  somewhat  after 
the  Cleveland  style  of  architecture,  with  a  very  large 
body  and  very  small  brains,  rose  to  his  feet  and  said 
he  had  been  keeping  an  eye  on  this  new  Republic  for 
some  time;  he  was  taking  several  papers  from  there 
did  not  read  very  much  himself,  had  strained  hia 
judgment  when  young  in  figuring  on  the  problem  of 
squaring  a  circle,  which  he  finally  accomplished  by 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  303 

driving  a  harrow  tooth  into  a  rat-hole.  In  conse 
quence  of  this  early  strain  upon  his  reasoning  faculties, 
he  had  always  made  a  practice  of  hiring  his  reading 
done  by  his  pri>ate  Secretary  who  had  been  keeping 
himself  posted  thoroughly  and  would  now  make  a 
statement. 

The  private  Secretary  was  then  put  upon  the  stand 
and  told  what  he  knew,  after  which  a  learned  discussion 
took  place.  One  of  the  most  intelligent  bankers  said 
for  a  long  time  he  had  been  troubled  with  corns  and 
dyspepsia,  in  consequence  he  had  read  but  very  little, 
his  private  Secretary  would  therefore  speak  for  him; 
he  would  however  say  this  much,  that  he  was  in  favor 
of  the  plan  to  issue  gold  certificates  to  be  used  for 
money,  the  world  over,  and  buy  American  bonds  as 
already  suggested.  He  then  took  his  seat  amid  a  storm 
of  applause. 

The  private  Secretary  then  stated  that  Bundy,  Lin 
coln  and  Jefferson  seemed  to  be  leading  men  in  the 
Republic.  "All  bad  names, "  said  the  chairman,  and  an 
audible  "yes"  came  from  the  audience. 

At  this  juncture  some  one  called  for  Mr.  Baxter  to 
state  the  amount  he  thought  would  be  necessary  for  the 
control  of  the  men.  The  sound  of  his  name  brought 
Mr.  Baxter  to  himself.  Ihe  thought  of  being  sur 
rounded  by  so  many  millionaires  and  such  a  display  of 
ignorance  on  the  part  of  the  owners,  and  cunning  on 
the  part  of  the  secretaries,  had  completely  hypnotized 
him  and  thrown  him  into  a  magnetic  sleep  in  which  he 
had  seen  all  kinds  of  devils;  the  room  was  full  of  them. 
Even  these  great  financiers  seemed  to  have  cloven 
hoofs,  horns  and  tails;  there  were  little  devils  and  big 
devils;  old  devils  and  young  devils;  devils  with  horns 
and  devils  with  tails.  Lucifer  himself  could  hardly 
have  turned  out  a  more  interesting  set  of  devils,  and 
each  had  his  hands  full  of  gold  certificates,  and  was 
watching  the  United  States  and  the  new  Republic. 
Rothschild  seemed  to  be  the  prince  of  all  the  devils 
and  he  read  a  letter  from  John  Sherman,  a  great 
American  financier,  who  had  made  several  millions  of 


304  AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

dollars  from  a  salary  of  $5,000  in    the    United    State 
Senate. 

A  large,  ugly  looking  devil  then  came  in  staggering 
under  a  load  of  United  States  bonds.  After  dumping 
them  at  the  feet  of  the  Prince  of  the  gold  power,  he 
straightened  up  and  the  Prince  of  devils  said:  "This 
is  Grover,  the  stuffed  prophet;  for  this  service  I  appoint 
him  first  in  my  cabinet."  Baxter  then  looked  and  it 
was  Grover,  sure  enough,  with  his  well-known,  besotted 
look.  Like  the  others  he  had  cloven  hoofs,  short 
horns,  and  a  tail  of  wondrous  length;  he  smelled  fishy, 
and  the  buzzards  had  been  roosting  in  his  hair.  The 
Prince  patted  him  on  the  head  and  he  danced  in 
ecstacy,  then  waltzed  and  waltzed  until  he  became 
entangled  in  his  own  tail;  while  in  this  laughable  situ 
ation,  the  sound  of  Baxter's  name  awoke  him  from  his 
trance  to  a  realization  of  the  fact  that  he  was  among 
bankers.  He  sprang  to  his  feet,  a  picture  of  confusion; 
wiping  the  cold  sweat  from  his  face,  he  collected  his 
thoughts  and  proceeded  to  inform  the  millionaire 
bankers  that  he  did  not  think  Bundy,  Lincoln  and 
Jefferson  could  be  bought;  at  this  he  saw  a  smile  of 
derision  light  up  the  face  of  all,  and  the  Prince  of 
bankers  said:  "Not  so,  my  man,  we  have  proved  this 
thing  to  be  a  truth,  that  all  men  have  their  price. " 

Mr.  Baxter  was  then  asked  if  he  was  personally 
acquainted  with  any  of  the  Senators;  he  answered  in 
the  affirmative,  stating  that  he  had  been  quite  intimate 
with  Senator  Sherman. 

"Senator  Sherman?"  inquired  the  Prince  of  bankers 
"have  you  a  man  there  by  that  name?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  Baxter,  feeling  his  own  insignifi 
cance  more  and  more,  among  the  bankers. " 

"Is  he  any  relation  to  the  Ohio  Senator?" 

"He  says  not,"  Baxter  replied.  "No  matter,"  said 
the  Prince,  "I  rather  like  the  name,  that  is,  if  there  is 
no  Billy  mixed  up  in  it."  "There  is  not." 

After  further  discussion  it  was  decided  to  send  a 
committee  of  one  to  report  plans  for  establishing  a 
National  Banking  system  in  the  new  Republic;  also  a 
gold  standard.  It  was  suggested  that  a  man  by  the 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  305 

name  of  Lord  Dead  Ernest  Seyd  had  been  quite  suc 
cessful  in  dealing  with  American  Senators  and  Con 
gressmen,  and  he  was  therefore  selected  for  the  mission. 

He  was  sent  with  instructions  to  spend  $10,000,000 
if  necessary  to  secure  the  recognition  of  gold  as  money; 
also  secure  some  change  in  the  laws  concerning  the 
great  newspapers. 

"It  is  important,"  said  the  Prince  of  bankers,  "that 
we  control  these  papers;  if  the  present  ones  cannot  be 
controlled,  we  can  afford  to  start  and  run  larger  ones 
and  circulate  them  at  ten  cents  a  year  for  the  next  ten 
years,  in  order  to  control  votes,  and  I  would  advise  that 
you  pay  particular  attention  to  this  matter.  The 
manner  in  which  we  control  the  vote  of  the  United 
States  through  the  great  dailies  is  quite  sufficient  to 
convince  you  of  its  importance. 

"If  legislation  fails,  look  after  their  defenses;  feel  of 
the  people.  If  the  Government  cannot  be  controlled 
it  must  be  overthrown  by  inciting  insurrection.  I  am 
told  they  have  no  saloon,  nor  political  parties;  this  is 
all  wrong  for  they  all  form  a  part  of  our  methods. 
If  all  else  fails,  as  a  last  resort,  you  know  the  English 
Bank  and  syndicates  own  Great  Britain,  and  we  will 
fix  up  a  claim  to  that  part  of  Africa  and  send  around  a 
lot  of  iron-clads,  which  will  probably  have  a  very 
salutary  effect." 

In  regard  to  this  matter  the  Prince  of  bankers  said 
to  Mr.  Baxter:  "Holding  a  debt  against  the  English 
Government  of  more  than  she  can  pay,  and  our  own 
vaults  filled  with  gold  and  full  control  of  all  the  banks 
of  England  and  the  United  States,  you  will  not  for  a 
moment  doubt  our  power  to  do  this, " 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

IN  a  former  chapter  we  left  Mrs.  Goldburg  and  the  two 
girls  busily  engaged  in  preparing  for  a  trip  to  Africa, 
with  the  purpose  in  view,  on  the  part  of  Mrs.  Gold- 
burg,  of  seeing  the  country;  with  the  girls,  however, 
another  object  was  prominent,  that  of  founding  a 
College  in  which  they  could  find  use  for  the  intellectual 
culture  they  had  gained  in  years  of  careful  study;  both 
felt  that  under  the  system  in  vogue  in  the  United 
States,  there  was  but  small  chance  for  ladies  to  dis 
tinguish  themselves  They  had  seen  cultured  and 
brainy  women  in  the  United  States  too  often  held  up 
to  ridicule  by  a  subsidized  servile  and  insolent  press, 
while  using  freely  both  talent  and  money  for  the 
upbuilding  of  society  and  amelioration  of  mankind,  to 
even  for  a  moment,  think  of  subjecting  themselves  to 
such  a  terrible  ordeal. 

As  teachers  were  in  demand  in  the  new  Republic, 
they  hoped  that  the  conditions  there  would  be  more 
favorable  and  woman's  influence  recognized  as  a  neces 
sary  element  in  maintaining  an  equilibrium  in  both 
government  business  and  societ)',  and  that  her  place, 
as  toy  and  slave,  would  be  filled  by  animals,  if  filled  at  all. 

Preparations  for  the  trip  being  completed  and  a 
farewell  taken  of  loving  friends  and  old  neighbors,  they 
were  soon  standing  upon  the  deck  of  one  of  the  great 
ocean  steamers  of  the  new  Republic,  watching  the  city 
and  American  coast  as  it  faded  fast  from  view. 

The  voyage  passed  without  incident  and  when  they 
landed  at  Summerville,  each  was  enjoying  the  best  of 
health  and  spirits;  they  took  rooms  at  the  Palace  Hotel 
where  they  found  every  comfort  and  convenience 
possible  and  far  beyond  their  expectations.  They 
rested  quietly  until  the  next  Monday,  then  took  a  trip 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  $07 

about  the  city.  The  hotel  was  fortunate  in  having  as 
housekeeper  and  hostess  a  young  lady,  Miss  Colvil, 
by  name,  who  was  a  person  of  superior  attainments; 
in  her  kind,  affable  way  she  had  shown  the  ladies  every 
attention  and  thus  made  them  feel  perfectly  at  home; 
she  also  accompanied  them  as  a  guide  in  viewing  the 
points  of  interest  in  the  city. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  party  took  seats  in  a  fine  carriage 
drawn  by  a  span  of  black  horses  which  they  were 
informed  were  shipped  from  New  York.  They  rolled 
almost  noiselessly  over  smoothly  paved  streets,  'mid 
tall,  magnificent  structures  of  granite;  through  the 
business  streets  the  buildings  were  of  stone  and  one  of 
the  most  charming  features  was  the  superior  style  of 
architecture,  each  entire  block  seemed  to  have  been 
designed  on  one  common  plan,  both  for  usefulness  and 
beauty.  Business  seemed  to  be  conducted  on  a  grand 
scale,  for  it  was  not  uncommon  to  see  a  whole  block 
occupied  by  one  company,  as,  for  instance,  a  whole 
sale  boot  and  shoe  company  occupied  one  whole  block, 
supposed  to  have  been  built  fire-proof,  and  especially 
designed  for  the  business.  This  place  received  their 
goods  from  many  different  manufactories,  as  the  com- 
pan}'  could  increase  its  capital  stock  when  necessary 
by  application  to  the  head  of  the  department;  they  were 
enabled  at  all  times  to  pay  cash,  which  enabled  manu 
facturers  to  do  the  same,  and  the  credit  system  had 
entirely  passed  out  of  use.  As  the  company,  like  all 
others,  was  limited  to  a  7  per  cent  dividend,  there  was 
seldom  any  marked  change  in  prices,  which  greatly 
simplified  business,  and  as  the  profits  of  the  concern 
were  never  invested  in  the  business  but  paid  out 
regularly  once  a  year  on  dividends,  there  was  seldom 
any  necessity  for  change  in  the  arrangements.  All 
wholesale  business  was  carried  on  in  the  same  way  and 
under  the  same  general  rule,  so  that  competition  was 
unknown  and  thousands  of  dollars  saved,  which  might 
have  been  wasted  in  advertising. 

If  an  overproduction  of  a  manufactured  article 
occurred,  manufacturer's  prices  remained  the  same,  but 
they  were  not  allowed  to  increase  their  work  until  the 


308  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

demand  had  become  equal  to  the  supply,  and  it  was 
sometimes  found  necessary  to  change  the  same  labor 
from  the  manufacture  of  one  article,  but  under  no 
circumstances  was  a  company  allowed  to  diminish  the 
number  of  its  employes. 

The  surplus  which  fell  upon  the  commercial  compa 
nies  was  either  held  for  future  consumption  or  shipped  to 
foreign  countries  and  exchanged  for  something  of  value; 
if  it  happened  that  nothing  of  value  could  be  obtained 
that  was  needed  at  home  gold,  silver  or  money  was 
taken  and  exchanged  for  securities.  Gold  was  never 
shipped  home  for  as  it  was  only  used  in  the  arts  there 
was  always  an  over-production  coming  in  from  the 
mines;  the  commercial  companies  therefore,  held  it  in 
their  foreign  offices  until  such  time  as  it  could  be 
disposed  of. 

All  other  branches  of  business,  such  as  dry  goods, 
clothing,  hats,  caps,  notions,  hardware,  etc.,  were  con 
ducted  on  the  same  general  plan,  each  occupying  one 
or  more  blocks  and  were  entirely  separated  from  other 
business.  The  buildings  were  of  uniform  height  and 
each  seemed  to  be  constructed  with  reference  to  pre 
serving  the  symmetry  and  beautifying  the  whole  street. 

For  an  hour  or  more  they  continued  their  drive 
through  this  grand  emporium,  when  suddenly  the 
scene  changed  and  they  "found  themselves  in  the  resi 
dence  portion  of  the  city;  on  all  sides  they  were  greeted 
by  tasteful  homes,  situated  on  spacious  grounds  and 
surrounded  by  flowers  in  profusion  and  ornamental 
trees  in  great  variety. 

The  buildings  were  artistic  and  beautiful,  the  streets 
were  wide,  having;  two  street-car  tracks,  with  wide 
drive-ways  on  either  side,  and  kept  in  complete  order. 
"I  cannot  understand,"  said  Mrs.  Goldburg,  "how  the 
city  can  afford  to  keep  such  a  continuation  of  streets 
in  such  perfect  order;  we  have  been  driving  for  hours 
and  still  everything  looks,  as  it  did  in  the  most  aristo 
cratic  part  of  the  city.  It  looks  as  though  this  was  a 
city  of  wealthy  people." 

"Indeed  it  is,"  said  the  hostess,  "we  have  more 
wealthy  people  than  any  other  city  on  earth  and  yet 


AN     IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  309 

we  have  not  fifty  men  in  the  city  who  have  reached 
half  a  million  and  there  is  not  a  millionaire  in  the 
whole  country.  Our  city  is  not  aristocratic  but  it  is 
social  and  stylish  to  an  extreme;  since  under  our  new 
methods  all  have  become  useful,  so  all  have  become 
wealthy,  independent  and  prosperous,  each  in  his  own 
line.  Everything  is  done  on  so  grand  a  scale  that  the 
very  best  results  are  attained:  profits,  too,  are  small 
and  labor  is  well  paid;  with  no  loss  of  time,  no  strikes 
or  lockouts,  a  good  investment  for  their  savings  and  no 
monopoly  of  land,  we  find  that  all  are  tully  able  to  live 
according  to  their  tastes,  and  the  very  fact  that  there 
is  a  limit  put  upon  inheritance  seems  to  stop  that 
everlasting  grabbing  after  all  that  is  in  sight. 

1  remember  of  hearing  an  old  veteran  say,  that  in  the 
war  of  the  great  Rebellion,  while  they  were  in  the 
South,  poor  men  who  had  never  owned  a  slave  and 
never  could  own  one  under  any  ordinary  course  of 
events,  would  come  into  camp  and  ask:  'Why  do 
you-uns  come  down  here  to  free  our  slaves?'  I  sup 
pose  that  human  nature  is  the  same  the  world  over  and 
as  these  people  were  afraid  of  losing  the  slaves  they 
never  owned  or  had  the  slightest  chance  oi  owning,  so 
many  of  our  people  who  have  not  the  slightest  chance 
of  climbing  for  wealth  one-fourth  of  the  way  to  the 
limit  of  inheritance,  have  already  begun  to  lose  their 
hoggish  grasping,  money-worshiping  notions,  through 
a  fear  that  Government  might  inherit  their  wealth. 
Thus  selfishness  begets  righteousness  and  as  it  is  man's 
destiny  to  follow  his  ambition  after  an  ideal,  on  seeing 
the  way  to  millions  obstructed,  he  soon  finds  his  course 
of  progress  turned  into  another  channel. 

"Having  once  seen  the  goal  of  happiness,  great  wealth, 
far  in  the  future  he  now  beholds  a  world  of  comfort 
near  by  and  that  goal  transferred  from  accumulated 
wealth  to  a  higher  state  of  civilization,  of  better  living, 
greater  enjoyments  and  more  intelligence.  Under  this 
condition  of  things,  his  ambition  to  excel  leads  him  to 
build  beautiful  cottages  and  make  flowery  homes. 

"As  incentives  to  his  becoming  a  millionaire  have 
been  removed,  man,  true  to  his  nature,  follows  another 


310  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

incentive  to  excel  in  such  attributes  as  will  be  most 
appreciated  by  his  fellows,  thus  gaining  their  admira 
tion  and  appiause. " 

"In  our  whole  trip,"  said  Mrs.  Goldburg,  "I  have 
seen  no  indication  ot  a  saloon;  is  it  possible  that  your 
people  have  been  able  to  do  away  with  the  use  of 
intoxicating  drinks?" 

"The  habit,  fashion  or  custom, "  said  the  lady,  "which 
ever  you  please  to  call  it,  of  dram  drinking,  is  only  an 
effect;  the  result  of  a  condition.  When  we  removed 
the  cause  the  custom  disappeared.  It  is  claimed  by 
our  teachers  that,  as  the  Sunday  School  is  the  nursery 
of  the  Church,  so  the  saloon  is  the  nursery  of  hell;  as 
the  free  school  is  the  fore  runner  of  knowledge,  so  the 
fashionable  saloon  is  the  educator  of  drunkards,  cause 
ot  much  misery  and  fore  runner  of  crime,  debauchery 
and  a  multitude  of  sins.  We  have  no  saloons,  but  we 
have  their  counterpart,  halls  of  pleasure,  where  every 
thing  is  found  which  is  calculated  to  please  and  attract; 
all  visit  and  enjoy  these  places,  old  and  young,  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  alike  attend  to  spend  their  leisure  in 
social  conversation,  in  singing,  dancing,  eating,  speech- 
making,  debate  and  in  many  other  ways,  all  calculated 
to  amuse,  entertain  and  instruct.  Many  refreshing 
beverages  are  served,  but  none  that  will  intoxicate; 
they  are  kept  open  at  all  times,  and  as  reading  rooms 
are  attached,  they  become  a  place  of  leisure  for  all 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  though  entire  strangers  are 
always  welcome.  Millions  of  dollars  are  invested  in 
the  furniture,  fixtures  and  paraphernalia  of  these  great 
halls;  large  sums  of  money  are  being  constantly  spent 
in  securing  the  very  richest  display  of  art  and  on 
account  of  the  thousands  of  halls,  it  has  created  a 
demand  for  fine  art  in  painting,  sculpturing  and  filigree 
work,  as  to  set  in  motion  the  wheels  of  evolution  in 
that  direction. 

"In  consequence  of  this,  schools  of  this  kind  have 
been  established  from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the 
other,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  day  is  not  far  distant 
when  our  people  will  lead  the  world  in  art. 

"It  has  been  our  aim  to  treat  the  liquor  question,  as 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  31 1 

all  others,  in  a  rational  manner.  Used  properly,  it  is 
considered  valuable,  but  dram  drinking  is  considered  a 
curse  and  saloons  are  believed  to  be  institutions  cal 
culated  to  foster  and  perpetuate  that  curse;  therefore 
they  are  dispensed  with,  by  placing  the  sale  of  liquor 
in  the  hands  of  -an  immense  joint  stock  company,  that 
has  an  office  in  every  town  and  city,  where  the  very 
best  liquors  are  kept  on  sale  by  the  quart  or  gallon 
only,  and  it  is  under  no  circumstances  to  be  drank 
upon  the  premises.  The  very  cheapness  of  it  is  said 
to  have  a  tendency  to  make  it  unpopular;  beside,  our 
people  are  all  educated  and  in  our  ethical  teaching,  to 
drink  is  disgraceful." 

After  passing  that  part  of  the  city  where  wholesale 
trade  was  carried  on,  they  came  to  the  streets  occupied 
by  retailers;  here  the  sight  could  hardly  have  been 
surpassed  and  on  inquiry  the  ladies  were  informed  that 
nearly  all  of  the  retail  business  was  done  by  individuals; 
draying,  teaming,  repair  shops  of  all  kinds  were  also 
done  by  individual  enterprise;  but  the  hatred  usually 
engendered  by  unbridled  competition  is  not  present; 
it  is  generally  believed  the  principal  reason  is  in  con 
sequence  of  the  inheritance  laws  and  graduated  income 
tax.  "None  seem  anxious,"  said  she,  "to  accumulate 
wealth  to  be  inherited  by  the  Government,  which  would 
put  it  right  back  among  the  people  again,  through 
public  institutions  of  learning  or  public  work,  while 
the  great  business  done  by  our  joint  companies  pro 
motes  pride  and  patriotism. 

"As  the  labor  of  the  country  is  largely  done  by 
machinery,  there  are  a  great  many  men  who  would  find 
no  employment  were  it  not  provided  by  the  Govern 
ment;  therefore  the  cities,  counties,  states  and  Repub 
lic,  each  have  a  regular  system  of  improvements  where 
every  idle  man  may  find  work.  This  is  why  you  see 
the  streets  and  walks  so  invariably  fine." 

Mrs.  Goldburg  spoke  of  the  spacious  building  lots 
and  the  lady  guide  said:  "Our  street  car  lines  are  so 
perfect,  and  being  run  by  a  company  whose  profits  are 
limited  to  7  per  cent,  car  fare  is  so  remarkably  low 
that  distance  is  considered  of  but  little  consequence 


$12  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

and  many  of  the  shop  men  ride  four  and  even  five 
miles  to  work;  so  you  see  there  is  no  necessity  for 
crowding  buildings  together." 

The  party  put  up  for  dinner  at  an  inn  on  the  out 
skirts  of  the  city.  The  building  was  home-like  but  a 
magnificent  piece  of  architecture;  it  was  surrounded 
by  a  flower  garden  with  its  fountains  and  statuary;  the 
ladies  had  never  seen  anything  so  beautiful. 

"From  what  country  do  you  get  all  your  works  of 
art?"  asked  Rebecca 

"This,"  said  the  guide,  "is  all  the  product  of  our  own 
institutions,  many  of  which  have  been  running  for 
several  years;  in  consequence  of  the  extensive  use  of 
labor-saving  machinery,  a  system  of  government,  too, 
that  gives  every  man  employment  and  encourages 
industry  by  just  legislation,  so  there  is  no  loss  from 
conflicting  interest;  we  find  there  is  an  abundance  of 
spare  help  which  gives  every  man  having  a  taste  for 
art  or  science,  an  opportunity  to  gratify  that  taste; 
their  productions  are  fully  appreciated  by  those  other 
wise  engaged;  it  is  claimed  by  our  economists  that  with 
our  improved  tools  and  farm  machinery  one  man  will 
produce  an  abundance  of  food  for  twenty-five  persons; 
that  our  manufacturers  can  do  ten  times  that  amount; 
as  a  very  large  portion  of  our  population  are  farmers, 
you  will  see  at  a  glance  that  after  taking  out  all  our 
middle-men,  such  as  merchants,  draymen,  mechanics, 
railroad  men  and  others  beside  women,  children  and 
students,  we  still  have  abundance  of  help  to  spare. 
Government,  therefore,  encourages  every  branch  of 
industry  and  learning  by  liberal  appropriations;  our 
surplus  wealth,  you  understand  is  handled  by  the 
Government  to  improve  the  race,  while  in  other  coun 
tries  it  passes,  through  legislation,  into  the  hands  of 
millionaires  and  is  used  to  enslave  the  race  or  is  hoarded 
beyond  the  reach  of  those  who  need." 

The  grounds  were  beautifully  laid  off  with  walks, 
shady  nooks  and  rustic  seats  for  the  comfort  and  con 
venience  of  the  public.  The  party  rested  for  a  while 
after  dinner  and  again  took  up  their  journey.  By  a 
circuitous  route  they  returned  to  the  Hotel  through  a 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  $13 

country,  as  Rebecca  expressed  it,  that  looked  like  a 
picture  of  continual  prosperity,  happy  homes,  beautiful 
grounds,  playing  children  and  warbling  birds;  not  the 
slightest  evidence  of  a  pauper  or  a  millionaire  had  met 
their  view.  While  they  had  seen  many  magnificent 
carriages,  they  were  not  attended  by  footmen  dressed 
in  livery,  indeed  they  were  told  that  such  attendants, 
in  that  country,  would  be  called  slaves  and  the  man 
thus  attended,  a  snob  and  both  would  be  ostracised 
from  society.  On  reaching  their  apartments  at  the 
Hotel  the  guests  were  left  to  entertain  themselves,  which 
they  did  in  looking  over  the  evening  papers  and  recount 
ing  the  events  of  the  day.  They  all  agreed  that  the 
whole  appearance  of  the  place  was  charming. 

Miss  Colvil  joined  them  in  the  parlor  after  supper  and 
found  the  ladies  in  excellent  spirits  and  not  in  the  least 
fatigued  but  delighted  with  their  experience. 

Minnie,  too,  enjoyed  everything  she  had  seen  but 
the  ride  had  set  her  to  thinking;  everything  was  so 
different  from  what  she  had  seen  before.  Said  she: 
"If  anyone  had  told  me  that  a  city  of  this  size  could 
exist  without  its  horde  of  paupers,  and  that  such  an 
extensive  business  could  be  conducted  without  banks 
and  millionaires  to  furnish  money,  I  would  have 
thought  them  insane." 

"True,"  said  the  hostess,  "I  too  have  always  been 
accustomed  to  seeing  money  controlled  by  the  banks 
and  it  seems  strange  to  me;  but  when  you  understand 
our  system,  which  is  so  very  simple  and  works  so 
perfectly,  you  will  wonder  how  the  people  of  the 
United  States  have  allowed  themselves  to  be  robbed  by 
the  bankers  so  long  and  so  completely.  In  other  coun 
tries  governments  make  the  money  and  give  it  to  the 
bankers  to  speculate  on;  with  this  control  of  the  money 
they  soon  own  a  large  share  of  the  property.  When 
the  plant  is  thus  started,  through  rent  and  interest,  it 
is  like  the  rolling  of  a  great  snowball  and  gathers  to 
itself,  as  time  rolls  on,  until  it  becomes  more  powerful 
than  the  government.  As  it  grows  rich  year  by  year, 
the  people  must  of  necessity  grow  poor;  it  could  not 
be  otherwise.  If  a  man  dies,  it  matters  not,  the  estate 


314  AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

rolls  on,  collecting  rents  and  interest,  robbing  the  poor 
and  building  up  an  aristocracy. 

"Here  these  vast  estates  are  not  allowed  to  exist;  no 
one  man  or  woman  can  inherit  more  than  $100,000. 
Of  course  the  property  is  here  as  in  all  other  countries, 
but  there  has  never  been  any  difficulty  in  rinding  per 
sons  willing  to  own  it;  we  find  that  it  is  not  necessary 
that  bankers  and  millionaires  should  own  our  property; 
the  large  business  enterprises  are  owned  by  joint  stock 
companies,  as  in  the  United  States,  but  our  people 
seem  perfectly  willing  to  own  the  stock  and  as  bankers 
and  millionaires  do  nothing  but  own  property,  we  think 
we  can  do  without  them,  at  any  rate  so  long  as  men 
and  women  come  nobly  to  the  front  and  each  own  their 
<share.  We  are  determined  at  all  events,  that  if  bank 
ers  and  millionaires  can  do  without  us,  we  will  make 
an  effort  to  do  without  them;  if  they  want  all  the  golcf 
in  the  United  States  and  England,  we  are  glad  of  it; 
it  will  give  us  a  good  market  for  the  production  oi 
our  mines;  we  don't  want  it,  we  find  paper  money  is 
better  for  us." 

"O  yes,"  said  Minnie,  "nobody  will  deny  but  what 
paper  money  is  more  convenient  than  gold.  We  use 
it  in  the  United  States,  but  we  have  gold  in  the 
treasury  to  redeem  it  with  and  of  course  that  makes  it 
good.  While  I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as 
criticising  your  Government,  I  would  like  to  ask  how 
you  expect  to  .redeem  your  paper  money  after  you  have 
disposed  of  all  your  gold?" 

Minnie  said  this  with  a  degree  of  hesitancy  which 
showed  that  she  felt  keenly  the  awkward  position  Miss 
Colvil  would  be  in  at  having  such  an  unanswerable 
question  propounded;  on  the  contrary  the  young  lady 
felt  quite  at  ease  as  she  said:  "I  suppose,  Miss  Min 
nie,  you  noticed  some  of  our  business  institutions 
when  we  were  driving,  yesterday?" 

"O  yes,"  said  Minnie,  "they  were  grand." 
"What  did  you  think  of  their  permanency?" 
"Why,"    said    Minnie,   a  little  surprised  at    such    a 
question,   "permanency  seems  to  be  one  of  their  strongest 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  315 

features;  the  buildings  are  of  the  most  solid  material 
possible." 

"How  long  do  you  suppose  the  people  will  continue 
to  do  business  in  this  city?" 

Minnie,  a  little  puzzled,  answered:  "Always  for 
anything  we  know  now." 

"Then,"  said  the  hostess,  "will  you  please  to  tell  me 
at  what  time  and  for  what  cause  these  people  will  dis- 
contiuue  the  use  of  money?" 

Minnie  now  began  to  see  the  point,  but  she  was  honest 
and  always  willing  to  learn  and  she  answered  promptly: 
"I  suppose  so  long  as  they  do  business  they  will  need 
money. " 

"Then  how  could  Government  redeem  this  money 
without  putting  out  other  money  to  take  its  place? 
When  a  bill  becomes  worn  it  is  redeemed  with  a  new 
one  and  gold  cuts  no  figure  in  the  case,  simply  because 
it  is  not  recognized.  Your  Government,  the  United 
States,  has  had  $100,000,000  laying  idle  in  her  vaults 
for  the  last  twenty  years  for  the  ostensible  purpose  of 
redeeming  the  greenback,  which  has  not  been  redeemed 
yet  and  probably  never  will  be;  during  that  time  the 
Government  has  paid  over  $75,000,000  interest  on 
bonds  that  could  have  been  paid  with  that  gold. 
Would  it  not  have  been  the  wiser  policy  to  have  waited 
till  they  wanted  the  greenback  redeemed,  before  bor 
rowing  the  money,  and  thus  save  to  the  people  that 
enormous  sum  of  $75,000,000  interest.  We  propose  to 
loan  all  our  gold  to  the  United  States;  we  are  glad 
they  want  it;  we  can  loan  them  $100,000,000;  in 
thirty-four  years  they  will  have  paid  the  gold  all  back 
to  us  and  will  still  owe  us  the  full  amount.  Is  it  any 
wonder  the  Americans  are  a  debtor  nation?" 

Minnie  was  overwhelmed  by  the  peculiar  turn  which 
things  had  taken;  she  said  not  one  word,  but  Rebecca 
soon  broke  the  silence  by  saying,  in  a  jesting  way: 
"Minnie,  we  must  remember  that  things  often  look 
differently  from  different  standpoints." 

"Yes,"  said  Miss  Colvil,  from  the  bankers'  stand 
point  their  gold  system  is  all  right;  fortunately  we  are 
entirely  rid  of  that  class  of  society  which  is  composed 


316  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

of  bankers  and  millionaires  only;   getting  rid  of  them, 
we  consider  a  wonderful  step  in  human  progress. " 

After  a  short  silence  Minnie  asked  if  there  were  any 
places  of  amusement. 

"O  Yes,"  said  the  hostess,  "these  halls  of  pleasure 
are  always  open;  they  take  the  place  of  saloons  and  are 
a  great  place  to  spend  leisure  moments.  I  was  just 
about  to  suggest  that  we  visit  one  of  them  to-night." 

"Do  ladies  visit  such  places,"  asked  Minnie  in  a 
doubtful  manner. 

O  yes,    you  will   see   as  many   ladies  as  gentlemen 
there  and  I  know  you  will  enjoy  the  evening. " 

"We  will  go,"  said  Minnie,  looking  at  Mrs.  Gold- 
burg,  as  if  still  doubtful  as  to  the  propriety  of  such  a 
step.  "Why,"  said  Mrs.  Goldburg,  "Miss  Colvil  has 
been  a  very  good  guide  so  far,  and  I  think  we  may 
safely  follow  her  now. " 

"O, "  said  the  hostess,  "you  may  rest  assured  you  will 
see  or  hear  nothing  but  what  would  be  admissible  in 
any  drawing  room.  It  is  very  different  here  from  what 
it  is  in  the  United  States;  here  the  gentlemen  all  have 
ladies  of  their  own  to  look  after  and  we  shall  hardly 
be  noticed. 

"You  see  the  methods  of  business  here  are  so  thor 
oughly  based  upon  principles  of  justice  that  every  man 
has  an  opportunity  not  only  to  make  a  living,  but  also 
to  have  a  good  time,  enjoy  life,  and  lay  by  money  for 
old  age.  If  a  man  rents  a  house  and  pays  his  rent 
regularly  for  a  few  years,  he  finds  himself  sole  owner 
of  the  property.  Americans  would  laugh  at  such  a 
proposition,  yet  when  you  examine  the  plan  it  is  abso 
lutely  just,  and  in  consequence  of  this,  there  are  few 
bachelors  and  old  maids;  all  have  good  homes  and  are 
surrounded  by  good  influences;  consequently  crime  has 
almost  disappeared  and  our  many  criminal  laws  have 
become  obsolete.  In  fact  the  business  of  the  country 
has  been  so  thoroughly  systematized  and  is  so  abso 
lutely  just,  that  law  has,  in  a  wonderful  degree,  become 
unnecessary,  and  there  is  not  one  lawyer  here  where 
there  are  ten  in  the  United  States;  you  will  find  as 
you  proceed  through  our  country  that  there  is  a  vast, 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  317 

difference  between  a  Government  in  the  interest  of  the 
people  and  one  run  in  the  interests  of  a  class  of 
aristocrats. " 

After  Miss  ColviPs  reassurance  that  it  would  be 
perfectly  safe  for.  ladies  to  go  upon  the  streets  unat 
tended,  they  were  soon  ready  to  go,  and  Miss  Colvil 
and  Rebecca  took  the  lead;  a  short  walk  took  them  in 
front  of  one  of  the  finest  blocks  in  the  city.  The  doors 
were  standing  wide  open  and  a  throng  of  people  were 
coming  and  going.  There  were  no  screens  before  the 
door  and  Rebecca  mentioned  this  fact  to  Miss  Colvil 
who  remarked:  "People  controlled  by  honorable 
motives  require  no  screens;  even  in  the  United  States 
they  are  only  used  in  saloons  and  banks  and  their  only 
object  is  to  hide  dishonorable  methods." 

They  passed  through  the  vestibule  when  they 
emerged  into  a  grand  and  magnificent  hall,  brilliantly 
lighted;  it  was  about  125  feet  long  and  had  a  double 
row  of  billiard  tables  running  the  whole  length  of  the 
hall.  "This,"  said  Miss  Colvil,  pointing  to  the  billiard 
tables,  "is  our  national  game."  Every  table  was  in  use; 
at  some  of  the  tables  ladies  were  playing,  at  others 
gentlemen,  and  at  others  ladies  and  gentlemen  were 
playing  together.  Along  each  side  of  the  hall  in  front, 
was  a  magnificent  bar  and  the  wall  back  of  it  was  one 
solid  mirror;  in  front  of  it  was  a  shelf  of  onyx  resting 
upon  cabinet  work  of  a  superior  order;  at  intervals 
along  this  shelf  stood  large  globular  jars  of  pure  water 
in  which  different  varieties  of  the  finny  tribe  were 
sporting  in  the  perfect  artificial  light  of  the  hall. 

The  water  was  kept  pure  by  connection  of  silver 
tubes  which  kept  a  tiny  stream  filtering  through  the 
jars;  these  tubes  wound  around  and  assumed  fantastic 
shapes  as  they  led  from  jar  to  jar,  while  resting  upon 
filigree  work  of  the  rarest  kind,  formed  principally 
from  silver,  gold  and  precious  stones.  "This,"  said 
Miss  Colvil,  pointing  to  this  wonderful  display,  "is  the 
way  we  use  our  silver  and  gold." 

Vases  of  silver  containing  beautiful  boquets  occupied 
places  in  every  part  of  the  hall,  while  growing  plants 
and  blooming  flowers  were  also  there.  Cages  hung 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

from  the  ceiling  containing  birds  of  beauty  and  son& 
which  were  adding  much  to  the  grandeur  of  the 
occasion.  As  the  ladies  stood  before  this  wonderful 
display  and  beheld  it  so  charmingly  reproduced  in  the 
great  mirror,  they  regarded  it  as  a  sight  long  to  be 
remembered;  turning  from  this  magnificent  scene,  they 
feasted  their  eyes  upon  the  busy  throng  of  players  with 
happy  but  earnest  faces,  listened  to  the  click  of  ivory 
balls  and  watched  the  faces  of  the  players  as  they 
changed  from  smiles  of  satisfaction  to  looks  of  per 
plexity.  Rebecca  remarked  the  perfect  order  which 
reigned  supreme  and  contrasted  it  with  the  whiskey 
saloons  of  the  United  States  where  drunkenness  and 
disorder  prevail  to  such  an  extent  as  to  make  woman's 
presence  inadmissible,  and  even  men  prefer  a  screen  to 
hide  them  from  the  accidental  glance  of  some 
respected  friend. 

After  passing  the  bar,  which  was  about  forty  feet 
long,  small  tables  filled  the  space  along  the  side  of  the 
room,  where  spectators  were  seated,  eating,  drinking 
and  looking  at  the  play.  The  walls  of  the  hall  weu 
adorned  with  paintings  rare  and  costly;  passing  down, 
the  aisle  midway,  they  stepped  into  an  elevator  and  in 
another  moment  the  scene  changed;  they  were  in  a  hall 
with  galleries  and  a  stage;  the  chairs  on  this  floor 
could  be  moved,  thus  con-verting  it  into  a  huge  dance 
hall.  Here  they  listened  for  an  hour  to  charming 
music,  both  vocal  and  instrumental.  Miss  Colvil 
explained  that  this  part  of  the  establishment  was  under 
the  management  of  a  musical  and  literary  club,  con- 
Listing  of  several  hundred  members;  from  this  club, 
talent  is  chosen  to  furnish  entertainments,  consisting 
of  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  elocution,  dramas  and 
comedies. 

The  club  was  organized  for  the  double  purpose  of 
enjoyment  and  instruction ;  the  performers  received  no 
pay  and  therefore,  there  was  an  opportunity  for  all  to 
learn,  and  the  very  best  theatrical  talent  was  developed. 

The  regular  admission  fee  to  these  entertainments 
was  ten  cents,  but  nightly  tickets  could  be  purchased 
for  $1.00  a  month;  this  money  went  to  the  landlord, 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

wlio  was  expected  to  keep  the  room  in  order  and 
furnish  scenery  and  paraphernalia. 

Ranged  along  by  the  side  of  this  great  hall  was  a 
series  of  rooms  nicely  furnished  and  carpeted,  provided 
with  chairs  and  tables  where  ice  cream  and  fruits 
could  be  served  to  four,  six  or  eight  persons.  In  front 
of  this  was  another  long  hall  fitted  up  and  used  as  a 
free  reading  room. 

After  having  visited  every  part  of  these  great  halls, 
the  ladies  returned  to  the  hotel  thoroughly  satisfied 
with  their  evening's  enjoyment. 

"Are  there  many  such  halls?"  said  Minnie,  as  they 
were  once  more  quietly  seated  in  the  parlor  of  the  hotel? 

"O,  yes,"  said  Miss  Colvil,  "they  take  the  place  of 
the  saloon;  as  the  saloon  was  designed  by  the  Devil  to 
give  every  young  man  a  fine  start  for  hell,  so  these 
halls  have  been  designed  by  Christians,  in  accordance 
with  the  Christ-principle,  to  give  the  young  a  start 
toward  a  better  state  of  existence;  as  the  saloons  have 
been  abolished,  a  number  of  these  halls  have  been 
substituted  to  accommodate  the  people,  for  all  like  to 
enjoy  life.  As  our  industries  are  based  upon  true 
business  principles,  owned  at  home,  run  constantly, 
and  profits  scattered  among  the  people,  so  all  have 
money,  and  you  would  be  surprised  to  see  how  univers 
ally  these  halls  are  patronized. " 

"It  must  take  a  great  many  Police,"  said  Rebecca, 
"to  keep  order  and  protect  the  women'  and  '  children 
from  insult. " 

"Woman  requires  no  protection  from  man,"  said 
Miss  Colvil,  "she  is  an  even  match  tor  him  under  all 
circumstances;  it  is  only  brutes  she  fears,  and  when 
men  are  transformed  into  brutes  by  the  use  of  alcohol, 
woman  trembles;  here  we  have  no  drunkards  because 
we  have  no  saloon  system  to  teach  men  to  drink.  We 
have  hundreds  of  these  great  halls  in  this  city,  some  of 
them  more  extensive  than  the  one  we  were  in,  others 
not  so  large,  all  run  on  the  same  general  principle, 
varying  only  in  accordance  with  the  ideas  of  the 
managers.  They  all  keep  open  on  Sundays  and  in  the 
club  room  or  hall  a  minister  of  the  gospel  is  employed, 


320  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

at  the  expense  of  the  house  to  deliver  three  religious 
non-sectarian  sermons  or  lectures.  You  would  think 
this  would  interfere  with  the  churches;  it  does  in  some 
particulars  but  not  in  attendance  or  support.  It  holds 
them  to  the  test  of  common  sense  and  does  away  with 
bigotry  to  some  extent.  When  men  of  brains  become 
ministers,  they  advance  intellectually  more  rapidly  than 
their  followers  and  are  obliged  to  put  on  the  brakes. 
These  halls  give  the  people  so  much  wholesome 
instruction,  that  the  ministers  feel  at  liberty  to  turn 
loose  their  best  thoughts,  thus  the  effect  is  a  salutary  one. 

It  was  growing  late,  so  Miss  Colvil  took  her  leave 
and  the  ladies  retired  to  dream  of  their  wonderful 
experience  and  the  peculiar  fashion,  new  methods 
arid  ideas. 

The  next  morning  at  nine  o'clock,  having  break 
fasted  and  returned  to  their  apartments,  Miss  Colvil 
entered  and  they  arranged  to  take  a  ride  on  the  street 
cars  to  Lake  Park.  On  entering  the  car  they  found 
that  neither  pains  nor  money  had  been  spared  to  make 
it  both  comfortable  and  beautiful.  Rebecca  spoke  of 
this  and  Miss  Colvil  said:  "Did  you  ever  notice  in 
the  United  States  that  whatever  was  done  by  the 
Government  was  always  done  lavishly?  It  is  the  same 
here  in  all  business,  where  comfort  and  convenience 
can  be  taken  into  consideration;  our  business  is  done 
by  large  companies  under  the  absolute  control  of  Gov 
ernment;  as  individual  greed  has  no  part  in  the  affair, 
work  is  never  slighted  to  save  money,  nor  is  anything 
ever  spoiled  by  cheap  making  to  gratify  a  stingy  owner. " 

The  streets  traversed  that  day  were  similar  to  those 
visited  on  their  previous  ride;  beautiful  buildings, 
comfortable,  home-like  and  tasty,  with  indications  of 
happiness  and  prosperity  everywhere.  On  returning  to 
the  hotel  it  was  agreed  that  nothing  could  have  been 
nicer.  "Yes,"  said  Miss  Colvil,  "if  you  go  through  our 
markets  and  stores,  you  will  find  it  of  rare  occurrence 
that  anything  is  exhibited  for  sale,  not  produced  at 
home;  in  fact  our  people  are  such  great  producers  that 
we  have  over-production,  and  the  over-production  is 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  321 

greater  than  our  imports;  consequently  we  have  no 
foreign  debt." 

"What  is  the  reason,"  said  Rebecca,  "that  the  United 
States  which  is  also  a  Republic,  is  equally  rich  in 
land,  timber,  mines,  navigable  rivers,  with  equal  chances 
is  largely  in  debTto  foreign  powers  and  a  large  part  of 
their  property  and  business  is  already  owned  by  foreign 
syndicates?" 

"The  trouble  is,"  said  Miss  Colvil,  "the  American 
people  borrow  money  to  do  business  with,  from  Eng 
lish  banks;  the  interest  is  eating  up  the  country  and 
eventually  will  take  everything." 

"The  people  who  come  to  this  country, "  said  Rebecca, 
"must  all  have  been  rich."  "Not  as  you  understand 
riches,"  was  the  reply;  "we  call  labor,  capital." 

"Our  people  were  intelligent  and  all  the  trades  were 
represented;  they  had  nothing  but  could  make  every 
thing  and  the  first  thing  they  made  was  money;  they 
had  some  gold  but  they  exchanged  it  for  tools  to  work 
with  and  made  their  money  of  paper. " 

"But  is  paper  money  good?"  said  Rebecca. 

"I  guess  it  is,"  said  the  girl, "there  seems  to  be  no 
trouble  to  get  rid  of  it.  Our  Government  makes  the 
money;  there  is  no  bank,  but  a  law  prohibiting  the 
taking  of  interest,  consequently  we  have  no  debtor  or 
poor  class.  We  have  little  law,  but  the  finest  business 
methods  in  the  world;  our  busines's  system  is  so  per 
fect  that  there  is  no  want  but  can  be  supplied  without 
recourse  to  dishonest  methods." 

"Why  do  you  object  to  interest?"  was  asked. 

"Simply  because  a  man  who  pays  interest  cannot 
afford  to  pay  his  help  what  is  their  due;  and  if  a  man 
cannot  loan  his  money  on  interest  he  will  use  it  him 
self  and  be  compelled  by  the  law  of  supply  and 
demand  to  pay  his  help,  the  same  as  others.  If  he  has 
bonds  or  notes  bearing  interest,  he  at  once  becomes  a 
parasite.  One  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  our  law 
is,  that  no  man  shall  have  something  for  nothing;  if  a 
man  invests  his  money  in  business  stock  he  is  sup 
posed  to  become  a  part  of  the  concern  and  is  held  to  be 
justly  entitled  to  his  share  of  profits;  this  in  the  nearest 


322  }  IDEAL  REMTBLIC 

oar  Government  comes  to  allowing  interest.  We  have 
r.  great  continent;  our  mineral  and  agricultural  produc 
tions  are  only  limited  by  the  amount  of  work  that  is 
done.  Our  Government  keeps  enough  money  in  circu 
lation  so  that  no  enterprise  suffers  for  want  of  it,  and 
all  have  constant  employment;  as  labor  is  i'-^  pro 
ducer  of  wealth,  we  are  fast  becoming  wealthy  people. 

"The  American  Government,  as  has  been  shown, 
makes  both  bonds  and  money  and  gives  them  to  the 
banks.  Through  bad,  if  not  dishonest  legislation,  the 
banks  loan  the  money  to  the  people  and  get  a  big 
interest  on  it;  the  Government  pays  interest  on  the 
bonds;  thus  the  banks,  which  are  only  parasites  at  best, 
grow  in  power  until  they  are  able  to  corner  money; 
then  industries  suffer,  men  cease  to  labor,  the  produc 
tion  of  wealth  is  discontinued  and  the  banks  or 
syndicates  who  have  cornered  the  money,  soon  own  all 
*jhe  property  that  has  been  produced;  classes  are  formed, 
want  and  misery  reign  with  some,  while  waste,  luxury 
and  extravagance  is  the  rule  among  others.  They  all 
want  honest  money,  but  we  want  honest  men;  honest 
money  and  honest  hammer  with  us  would  have  the 
same  meaning,  which  would  simply  be  an  article  which 
honestly  filled  the  bill  for  which  it  was  intended: 
nothing  less,  nothing  more." 

The  subject  was  dropped  and  after  a  short  pause 
Miss  Colvil  said:  "If  you  are  not  too  much  fatigued, 
let  us  visit  the  Senate  to-night.  I  know  you  will  like 
it;  the  hall  is  one  of  the  largest  and  finest  in  the 
country.  It  was  built  by  the  Government  and  is  now 
under  the  control  of  a  reform  society;  It  is  a  govern 
mental  concern  and  the  society  receives  its  authority 
to  operate,  under  certain  regulations  from  the  Govern- 
ment.  The  subjects  discussed  generally  pertain  to  the 
science  of  government.  There  you  will  hear  every 
system  of  government  discussed,  from  socialism  to 
absolute  monarchy." 

"Who  are  your  speakers?"  asked  Minnie. 

"O  they  come  from  all  parts  of  the  country;  thei<9  is 
not  a  prominent  man  in  the  Republic  but  at  some  time 
takes  a  part  in  the  discussion  Qnce  a  year  they  hold 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC,  323 

a  Congress  in  which  every  noted  speaker  is  invited  to 
take  part  and  they  are  glad  to  do  so  as  it  brings  them 
prominently  before  the  public.  In  this  Congress  they 
discuss  all  questions  pertaining  to  government;  such 
as  money,  gambling,  gold,  faro  banks,  national  banks, 
lotteries,  saloons,  whiskey  traffic,  taxes,  tariff,  trans 
portation,  commerce,  crime — how  to  prevent  and  how 
to  punish. " 

"Ahem,"  said  Minnie,  "I  would  like  to  know  what 
gambling,  banks  and  lotteries,  and  such  things  have  to 
do  with  Government?" 

"There  is  not  a  Government  on  earth,"  said  Miss 
Colvil,  "except  our  new  Republic,  but  are  absolutely 
controlled  or  intimately  connected  with  gold-gambling, 
while  national  banks  are  a  part  of  the  gambling 
machinery  in  the  United  States;  while  whiskey  and 
saloons  cut  a  prominent  figure  in  controlling  the  vote. 
In  this  Congress  every  gentleman  and  lady  are  supposed 
to  speak  their  true  sentiments,  and  if  ever  they  become 
candidates  for  office  the  sentiments  there  expressed 
will  be  held  up  before  the  people  as  their  platform  or 
political  faith. 

"This  we  are  told,  is  to  encourage  men  to  be  hon 
orable  and  weigh  their  opinions  carefully;  as  our 
papers  are  run  on  the  investment  of  the  people,  they 
are  under  obligations  to  no  one  but  the  people;  there 
fore  if  a  man  goes  back  on  his  record  as  made  in  this 
Congress,  they  show  him  up  at  once;  as  there  are  no 
political  parties  to  back  him  up,  he  must  be  careful 
and  make  a  record  that  will  stand  the  test  of  criticism. 
It  is  said  that  from  the  records  of  this  Congress  have 
been  obtained  some  of  our  best  laws,  and  through  it 
some  of  our  best  men  have  been  introduced  to  the 
public;  the  reports  of  this  free,  unpaid  and  unlimited 
Congress,  on  all  subjects  pertaining  to  Government  are 
published,  not  only  by  every  newspaper  in  the  country, 
but  they  are  also  put  into  book  form  and  extensively 
sold  at  cost  of  publication. 

"By  this  method  we  not  only  bring  the  best  talent  to 
the  front,  but  it  comes  pure  and  beyond  the  debasngi 
influence  of  monetary  power.  The  reports  have  such  a 


324  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

general  circulation  there  is  not  a  reading  man  through 
the  country,  no  matter  what  his  occupation,  who  is  not 
better  posted  than  ninety  per  cent  of  your  Americans, 
on  all  matters  of  Government.  I  do  not  even  except 
your  Congressmen.  When  a  law  is  referred  by  our 
Congress  to  the  people,  they  generally  know  how  to 
vote;  as  a  result,  what  few  laws  we  have  are  very  good 
ones.  This  Congressional  session  commences  each 
year  on  the  loth  of  No /ember  and  adjourns  before  the 
Holidays;  during  the  other  months  a  variety  of  subjects 
is  discussed  both  by  home  and  visiting  talent.  One 
night  in  the  week  is  set  aside  for  students,  another  for 
amateur  speakers;  sometimes  rival  societies  choose 
speakers  and  have  joint  discussions  and  it  becomes 
very  interesting.  All  public  lecturers  use  this  hall." 

The  interest  of  the  ladies  was  so  much  aroused,  that 
the  decision  was  made  that  the  following  night  they 
would  visit  the  Senate.  The  evening  passed  very 
pleasantly  in  receiving  callers  who  were  introduced  by 
Miss^  Colvil,  and  the  next  evening  found  them  all  on 
their  way  to  the  Senate. 

The  entrance  was  through  a  large  Reception  Hall  in 
which  were  placed  tables  and  chairs,  and  these  were 
occupied  by  little  groups  of  persons,  some  merry-mak 
ing,  others  getting  ready  for  debate.  The  subject  for 
that  night  was  one  of  general  interest  and  as  good 
talent  had  been  procured  the  crowd  of  people  gathering 
into  the  great  hall  was  immense;  the  ladies  took  a  seat 
at  a  side  table  and  ordered  some  glasses  of  cotch,  a 
new  beverage,  which  they  found  to  be  both  delicious 
and  refreshing. 

While  thus  seated  Minnie  picked  up  a  paper  and 
read  aloud  the  subject  for  discussion  that  evening,  as 
follows:  Resolved,  that  National  Banks  and  Bankers 
during  their  reign  have  committed  and  caused  to  be 
committed  more  crime  and  caused  more  suffering  than 
all  other  thieves,  robbers,  murderers  and  criminals 
combined, 

These  ladies  had  seen  some  of  the  power  wielded  by 
these  banks  in  the  United  States  and  long  since 
regarded  the  growing  power  of  the  institution  as  dan- 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  325 

gerous  to  man's  liberty;  but  to  have  them  boldly  pro 
claim  it  the  giant  cause  of  more  crime  and  suffering 
than  all  others  combined  was  entirely  beyond  their 
comprehension;  it  was  with  no  small  interest  that  they 
looked  forward  ^to  the  discussion.  As  they  looked 
about  the  great  hall,  everyone  seemed  to  be  busy; 
some  were  gathered  in  groups  chatting  with  friends 
they  had  chanced  to  meet,  others  promenading  up  and 
down  the  hall;  all  were  richly  dressed  and  everything 
seemed  to  have  the  appearance  of  a  gala  day.  A  band 
was  playing  sweet  strains  of  music.  On  either  side  of 
the  hall  were  tastefully  arranged  tables  for  the  sale  of 
nuts,  fruits,  ice-cream  and  drinks  of  many  varieties, 
but  nothing  that  would  intoxicate. 

Passing  on  the  ladies  found  seats  in  the  great  audi 
torium;  a  small  circular  was  placed  in  the  hands  «of 
each,  from  which  they  learned  that  tl  e  discussion 
would  be  opened  by  Prof.  Charles  D.  La  Rue,  who  had 
just  completed  an  examination  of  the  subject  in  ques 
tion,  as  chairman  of  a  committee  appointed  by  the 
Government  to  investigate  the  following  subjects: 
Banks,  their  methods  and  effect  upon  Government, 
commerce  and  society;  the  use  of  gold  as  money,  its 
effect,  and  where  and  how  the  superstition  originated. 

Prof.  Charles  D.  La  Rue  had  served  three  years  as 
chairman  of  this  committee  of  five  and  their  investiga 
tions  had  been  thorough  and  complete.  Having  turned 
the  results  over  to  the  Government  and  been  discharged, 
he  was  now  at  liberty  and  would  lead  in  the  discussion 
in  the  affirmative.  The  work  of  the  committee  was 
afterward  published  and  was  pronounced  the  greatest 
monetary  history  extant. 

The  great  hall  and  its  galleries  were  packed  and  the 
ladies  remarked  upon  the  intelligence  and  attention  of 
the  audience. 

"The  fastest  horse  is  always  the  nicest  looking, "  said 
Miss  Colvil:  "it  is  so  with  people;  the  better  their 
condition  and  the  more  intelligent  they  become  the 
better  they  look.  Good  opportunities  make  thrifty 
people;  under  our  home-made  laws  and  perfect  business 
methods,  our  people  are  not  only  happy  but  they  are 


326  AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

fast  becoming  the  most  intelligent  people  on  the  globe; 
the  ladies  in  particular  are  fast  coming  to  the  front  in 
all  public  affairs. " 

Prof.  Charles  D.  La  Rue  was  now  introduced  and 
proved  himself,  not  only  a  fine  orator  but  seemed  to 
have  the  history  of  banks  and  of  money  at  his  tongue's 
end;  he  boldly  charged  the  banking  system  and  indi 
vidual  control  of  money,  with  all  the  poverty  and 
three-fourths  of  the  crime  in  England,  France,  Ger 
many  and  the  United  States;  he  showed  conclusively 
that  the  banking  system,  from  first  to  last,  was  the 
foundation  of  a  giant  conspiracy  against  the  Govern 
ment  and  the  people  in  all  countries  where  it  exists; 
that  bankers  were  never  satisfied  to  let  the  representa 
tives  of  the  people  make  the  laws,  but  were  constantly 
interfering  with  legislation  and  when  once  fairly 
established  in  a  country  they  expected  the  legislators 
to  consult  them  on  all  financial  questions;  that  their 
advice  under  such  circumstances  is  always  in  their 
own  favor  is  only  natural. 

He  referred  to  instances  in  the  United  States  where 
in  order  to  carry  through  Congress  such  bills  in  their 
interest,  this  great  banking  class  or  conspiracy,  would 
hold  meetings  all  over  the  country  and  in  the  name  of 
the  great  people  whom  they  assumed  to  represent, 
demand  the  repeal  of  certain  laws,  or  the  passage  of 
acts  which  were  altogether  in  their  own  interests  and 
detrimental  to  the  interests  of  the  people.  He  showed 
further  that  wherever  the  system  had  been  suffered  to 
exist,  it  never  failed  to  become  stronger  than  the 
Government  and  control  legislation  in  its  own  behalf; 
that  their  wealth,  also  was  accumulated  in  so  systematic 
a  manner,  or  method  of  robbing  others,  through  the 
manipulation  of  gold  and  carefully  prepared  banking 
schemes,  that  the  very  people  who  had  been  robbed 
often  considered  the  bank  had  been  showing  them  favor. 

He  also  showed  in  a  clear  and  comprehensive  manner 
the  many  gambling  games  and  the  machinery  invented 
for  the  purpose  of  robbing  the  masses;  among  others 
which  he  named  and  described  were  the  wheels  of 
fortune,  faro  bank,  state  bank,  national  bank,  and 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  327 

lotteries  ot  every  description.  "They  differ,"  said  he, 
"only  in  method,  the  principle  is  the  same  and  the 
result  is  to  enrich  the  gambler  at  the  expense  of  the 
masses;  the  existence  of  such  a  system  was  only  made 
possible  by  the  ancient,  superstitious  worship  of  gold, 
which  still  clings  to  the  human  race."  He  showed  that 
the  principle  upon  which  these  games  are  run  is  per 
centage,  and  percentage  taken  by  a  national  bank  of 
the  United  States  on  the  Bank  of  England,  only  differed 
from  the  iaro  bank  in  the  amount  taken  and  the 
manner  of  taking 

"The  percentage  of  a  faro  bank  is  called  "splits;"  you 
lay  your  money  on  a  card;  if  the  card  wins  you  are 
paid  in  full;  if  it  loses  they  take  your  money;  but  if 
it  splits,  which  really  is  a  stand-off  or  a  draw,  then 
they  take  half  your  money.  This  is  their  percentage, 
and  if  a  dozen  men  play  all  night,  it  is  safe  to  calcu 
late  that  the  bank  will  have  more  money  than  all  of 
them  put  together  in  the  morning.  It  is  taken  so 
gradually  that  no  one  misses  it;  it  is  the  same  with  all 
gambling  games.  The  national  banks  have  their  dis 
count,  commission  and  interest.  The  only  way  it 
differs  materially  from  the  other  gimbling  games,  is 
that  through  their  system  they  control  legislation  and 
compel  every  man  who  uses  money  in  any  way  to  pay 
a  certain  part  of  their  percentage;  while  in  the  other 
game  there  is  no  compulsion,  if  you  don't  play,  you 
don't  pay. 

"Of  course  it  is  difficult  to  understand  just  how  this 
is  done;  our  statesmen  are  forced  to  confess  they  do 
not  understand  the  money  question;  to  save  their  lives, 
they  cannot  solve  the  problem  of  banking  or  money. 
When  we  consider  that  these  are  picked  representa 
tives  from  a  nation  of  people  whose  common  country 
school  teacher  is  supposed  to  be  able  to  solve  any  and 
all  mathematical  problems,  based  on  reason  and  true 
principles  of  philosophy,  we  can  readily  see  how  care 
fully  this  great  gold  game  is  guarded.  The  people  will 
probably  never  understand  the  game,  but  I  fully  believe 
they  will  get  tired  of  its  bad  effects  and  eventually 
destroy  it,  root  and  branch. 


328  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

I  once  saw  a  machine  for  the  manufacture  of  envelopes; 
the  paper  was  put  into  the  machine  between  two 
rollers  which  cut  the  paper  in  proper  shape  for 
envelopes,  folded,  pasted,  counted  and  dropped  them 
out  in  packs  of  twenty-four.  I  looked  at  the  work  in 
wonder  and  astonishment;  I  could  not  understand  the 
inside  working  of  it,  but  I  could  see  the  result.  The 
Bank  of  England  in  the  first  place  is  not  a  bank 
owned  by  that  Government,  as  its  name  would  indi 
cate,  but  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  private  cor 
poration  to  which  the  Government  grants  many  privi 
leges.  It  was  started  less  than  200  years  ago  on  a 
very  modest  capital;  since  that  time  it  has  loaned  the 
English  Government  so  vast  a  sum  of  money  that  the 
hope  of  ever  paying  it  has  long  since  vanished  and  the 
great  English  statesmen  now  advocate  the  doctrine 
that  a  government  debt  is  a  government  blessing.  As 
the  wealthy  class  own  the  bank,  and  also  Government 
debt,  which  has  been  largely  received  through  the 
bank,  the  interest  on  that  debt  must  be  paid  by  taxing 
in  some  way  the  labor  of  the  people.  The  debt  cer 
tainly  is  a  blessing  to  the  rich,  and  if  the  rich  are  the 
Government  then  this  obnoxious  doctrine  must  be 
true,  but  if  the  people  are  the  Government,  the  propo 
sition  is  absolutelv  false.  This  same  great  bank  has 
not  confined  its  money-making  schemes  to  Great 
Britain,  but  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  while  the 
American  people  in  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  have 
produced  material  to,  in  a  great  measure,  feed  and 
clothe  the  world,  have  worked  the  richest  mines  on 
earth,  under  the  mysterious  working  of  this  English 
banking  system,  these  same  people  have  seen  their 
products  go  abroad  and  property  fall  into  the  hands  of 
English  syndicates. 

"My  countrymen,"  said  the  Professor,  "I  can  no 
more  understand  the  secret  workings  of  this  great  gold 
and  silver  banking  business,  than  I  can  understand  the 
envelope  or  any  other  nice  piece  of  machinery  which 
is  all  boxed  up.  But  I  can  see  its  deadly  work;  I  can 
easily  see  the  United  States  has  had  a  dozen  different 
great  states  and  territories,  producing  millions  of 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  329 

dollars'  worth  of  gold  and,  to-day,  there  is  not  gold 
enough  in  the  country  to  pay  off  the  British  syndi 
cates.  Where  has  this  gold  all  gone?  To  satisfy  the 
balance  of  trade?  No,  for  the  balance  of  trade  has 
been  in  favor  of -the  United  States. 

"It  is  like  irrigating  a  field;  a  man  turns  a  great 
stream  of  water  into  a  large  field;  the  fish  run  down 
into  the  field  and  collect  in  the  low  places;  they  see 
the  water  taken  up  by  the  loose  soil;  they  watch  it 
disappear;  it  is  really  fascinating;  they  are  optimists 
and  when  one  hole  gets  full,  they  hunt  for  another. 
That  worked  all  right  as  long  as  there  was  plenty  of 
water  in  the  reservoir  which  fed  the  stream,  but  when 
the  water  runs  low  the  stream  decreases  but  absorption 
continues.  The  poor  fish  are  first  left  in  a  pond,  then 
in,  a  puddle,  but  at  last  in  the  mud.  While  the 
American  people  had  a  great  continent  loaded  with 
wealth,  right  from  the  hands  of  the  Creator,  they  were 
happy,  contented  and  prosperous;  but  in  an  evil  hour 
the  bank  of  England  got  in  its  work  and  established 
its  machinery  in  every  city,  town  and  village.  The 
absorption  of  wealth  at  once  commenced;  when  men 
lost  their  homes  they  moved  west  and  took  Government 
land;  they  hunted  new  places  and  made  new  discov 
eries;  the  continent  was  one  immense  pile  of  wealth, 
but  it  could  not  last  always;  the  absorption  was  too 
great.  The  people  saw  millionaires  springing  up 
everywhere;  thousands  upon  thousands  of  dollars  bet 
upon  prize  fights.  They  saw  palaces,  palace  cars  and 
yachts;  it  was  fascinating,  but  at  last  the  rich  mines 
of  gold  had  been  exhausted,  the  Government  land  had 
all  been  taken,  everywhere  valuable  franchise  had 
passed  from  the  control  of  the  people;  even  their 
homes  had  become  the  property  of  syndicates.  The 
people  are  now  in  the  pond;  how  far,  O  how  far  away 
may  be  the  time  before  they  reach  the  mud. 

"Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  wise  statesmen  of  the 
United  States  are  so  often  compelled  to  confess 
ignorance  on  a  simple  question  of  dollars  and  cents? 
I  shall  never  blame  any  man  tor  not  understanding 
interest,  discount  and  commission.  I  think  these 


330  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

words  should  be  expunged  from  the  English  language. 
I  would  vote  for  such  a  law.  The  proudest  act  of  my 
life  is  that  of  casting  my  first  vote  for  our  glorious 
constitution  that  demonetizes  gold,  does  away  with  the 
intrinsic  value  of  money,  prohibits  taking  or  paying 
interest,  limits  inheritance  and  gives  to  woman  equal 
rights  with  man.  It  is  with  a  touch  of  embarrassment 
that  I  come  before  an  audience  of  the  size  and  intelli 
gence  of  this  to  speak  on  an  ordinary  subject,  but  upon 
this  great  question,  embodied  in  our  Constitution,  and 
others  of  a  similar  nature,  I  feel  that  I  could  defend 
the  cause  before  the  arch-angels  and  the  bar  of  God, 
feeling  myself  fortified  by  the  everlasting  rock  of  truth. " 

The  speaker  continued  by  exposing  the  crooked 
ways  of  gold-gamblers  and  bankers,  generally,  and 
showed  conclusively  that  the  secret  working  of  the 
great  banking  conspirators  had,  without  doubt,  caused 
more  poverty  and  suffering  than  all  other  causes 
combined.  It  is  not  our  purpose,  however,  to  allow 
the  Professor's  speech  to  interfere  with  our  story; 
suffice  it  to  say,  it  was  quite  in  line  with  the  general 
thought  and  observation  of  the  ladies  and  they  returned 
to  the  Hotel  feeling  that  they  had  not  only  been  very 
highly  entertained,  but  that  the  lecture  had  beep 
highly  instructive. 

The  hours  had  passed  so  pleasantly  and  the  nev 
developments  had  been  so  wonderful,  that  the  ladies 
retired  that  night  with  the  feeling  that  they  were  still 
in  a  land  of  civilization  and  that  the  grand  principle 
of  truth  was  still  at  the  bottom  of  all  things;  they  also 
felt  that  the  power  of  superfluous  wealth  and  super 
stition,  urged  on  by  greed,  would  become  so  great  that 
its  self-destruction  would  be  inevitable,  then  Truth 
and  Justice  would  come  to  the  front. 

With  harmonious  feelings  like  these,  they  were  soon 
wrapped  in  such  restful  slumber  as  comes  to  those  who 
live  and  are  at  peace  with  all  the  world,  forgetting 
self,  in  the  welfare  of  the  great  brotherhood  of  man. 

Rebecca  had  informed  Miss  Colvil  of  their  intention 
of  founding  an  institution  of  learning,  for  young  ladies, 
somewhere  in  the  New  Republic,  and  she  had  commu- 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC,  331 

nicated  the  same  to  some  of  the  members  of  the 
Ladies'  Society  of  Progress  and  Advancement;  the 
result  was  that  on  the  following  day  they  received  a 
call  from  a  number  of  ladies  belonging  to  that  society. 
If  Rebecca  had  been  both  astonished  and  gratified  at 
the  manifestation  of  honesty,  brotherly  love,  and 
charity  for  other's  faults,  which  she  had  seen  on  every 
hand,  it  remained  for  tnese  ladies  to  fill  her  cup  of  joy 
to  overflowing. 

To  behold  the  spiritual  development  of  these  ladies 
and  note  the  harmony  existing,  which  could  only  be 
accounted  for  as  the  natural  condition  resulting  from 
changed  methods  and  new  ideas,  carried  Rebecca  into 
an  ecstacy  of  delight;  to  be  present  at  a  gathering  of 
ladies  where  they  were  discussing  methods  and  means 
for  the  advancement  and  general  good  of  others,  each 
unmindful  of  self,  acting  harmoniously  and  searching 
far  into  the  realm  of  thought,  after  nc-w  plans  for  the 
destruction  of  man's  greatest  enemy,  ignorance  and 
superstition;  all  this  without,  apparently,  a  thought  of 
the  expense  that  might  be  incurred,  with  a  knowledge 
that  these  ladies  represented  the  wealthiest  families  in 
the  place;  finding  how  completely  their  ideas,  thoughts 
and  desires  harmonized  with  her  own,  her  heart  was 
too  full  for  utterance;  excusing  herself,  and  leaving  the 
ladies  to  be  entertained  by  her  mother  and  Minnie,  she 
went  to  her  room  that  she  might  regain  composure;  it 
is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  aL  which  had  transpired 
during  the  last  few  days  had  wrought  upon  her 
nervous  temperament  and  she  needed  solitude  and 
perhaps  the  relief  which  comes  from  weeping  to  restore 
her  equilibrium.  She  soon  returned  with  complete 
control  of  her  feelings  and  prepared  to  discuss  any 
subject  which  might  be  introduced.  The  conference 
lasted  for  several  hours  and  before  its  adjournment, 
Rebecca  had  been  chosen  to  deliver  a  lecture  before 
the  society  the  following  Saturday  evening.  After 
arranging  preliminaries  they  adjourned. 

To  one  of  the  ladies  Rebecca  expressed  herself  as 
having  noticed  a  singular  peculiarity  which  she  had 
met — the  utter  disregard  of  any  expense  which  might 


332  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

be  necessary  in  carrying  out  their  plans.  To  this  the 
lady  replied  that  such  a  condition  was  due  to  the  fac^ 
that  all  property  above  $100,000  to  each  heir,  goes  to 
the  Government  and  then  finds  its  way  back  among  the 
people  through  public  works. 

"There  is  probably  not  a  family  represented  here 
to-day,"  said  the  lady,  "that  is  not  already  far  beyond 
the  limits;  consequently  we  are  handling  our  surplus 
money  which  we  really  have  no  use  for,  in  other 
words,  we  are  handling  Government  money,  and  do 
you  not  remember  how  lavish  your  people  are  when 
they  handle  Government  funds?  But  another  thing  has 
a  good  deal  to  do  with  the  liberality  of  our  people, 
and  that  is,  if  either  a  lady  or  gentleman  has  business 
qualifications,  an  opportunity  to  make  money  is  always 
open.  All  our  extensive  business  is  done  by  joint- 
stock  companies;  this  makes  a.  demand  for  business 
men,  and  no  matter  what  a  man's  peculiar  calling  may 
be  a  place  is  always  found  to  suit  him,  and  when  it  is 
known  that  chances  are  always  open  for  all,  even  their 
own  sons  and  daughters,  they  can  afford  to  be  liberal. 

"All  people  love  to  excel  and  thus  receive  the 
applause  of  mankind;  in  the  United  States  all  applaud 
wealth.  The  approach  of  a  palace  car  or  the  yacht  of 
a  millionaire  is  always  heralded  by  every  newspaper  in 
the  land  and  attention  is  called  to  it  by  conspicuous 
head-lines;  people  with  hungry  children,  worship 
wealth;  it  is  a  sign  of  superior  financial  ability;  honor 
counts  for  nothing  unless  backed  by  money;  intellect 
counts  for  nothing  unless  you  use  it  for  money  getting. 
All  the  selfish  qualities  of  men  are  brought  to  the  front 
in  the  reckless  scramble  for  gold.  The  biggest  hog 
gets  the  biggest  pile  of  the  necessaries  of  life  and 
Jocks  it  up;  the  others  go  ragged  and  hungry  but  call 
him  great. 

"With  us  things  are  quite  the  reverse;  by  experi 
ment  and  careful  calculation,  we  have  demonstrated  the 
fact  that  with  our  improved  machinery,  which  we  make 
ourselves,  one  man's  labor  is  quite  equal  to  the  sup 
port  of  many  others  beside  himself;  where  no  robbery 
is  going  on  and  there  is  no  waste  of  time  or  product, 


AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC,  333 

the  good  things  of  life  become  so  common  and  easily 
obtained  that  man,  to  excel,  must  explore  other  fields 
than  wealth.  This  gives  intellectual  advancement  new 
impetus;  here  the  historian,  humanitarian,  philoso 
pher,  scientist,  moralist,  religionist,  artist,  sculptor, 
author,  journalist  and  tradesman  all  find  their  admirers. 
Music,  too,  is  cultivated  to  the  very  highest  degree  and 
receives  its  share  of  patronage.  It  is  those  who  excel 
in  these  things  who  gain  the  admiration  of  our  people. 
Our  rich  men  are  so  plentiful  and  have  so  little  power, 
that  they  attract  but  little  attention. 

"The  American  hog  is  of  two  varieties,  the  quadru 
ped  and  biped;  the  one  is  fattened  and  killed;  the  other, 
too,  is  being  fattened  but  for  what  purpose  is  not  so 
clear.  Should  history  repeat  itself,  as  it  is  said  to  do, 
their  chances  seem  fairly  good  to  meet  the  same  fate 
as  the  other  hogs. 

"We  have  discarded  both  varieties  and  neither  fatten 
the  one  nor  the  other,  nor  do  we  allow  them  to  control 
our  money  or  make  our  laws.  Our  changed  conditions 
make  different  people;  there  is  no  occasion  to  be 
selfish  for  all  have  everything  in  abundance  and  some 
to  spare." 

Rebecca  listened  to  all  this  with  great  interest;  it 
seemed  so  entirely  in  keeping  with,  and  explanatory 
of  her  general  surroundings.  She  was  fast  opening  her 
eyes  to  the  real  cause  that  had  brought  such  a  happy 
state  of  affairs  among  these  people.  It  was  with  light 
hearts  and  kindly  feeling  that  the  ladies  separated, 
after  this  long  and  interesting  visit;  in  fact  so  marked 
was  this  feeling  of  harmony  and  good  cheer,  that  Mrs. 
Goldburg  remarked  after  the  departure  of  the  ladies, 
that  such  an  absence  of  alt  selfish  motives  was  truly 
wonderful.  "Such  a  meeting,"  said  she,  "would  be 
impossible  in  a  country  where  a  conspiracy  of  bankers 
and  gold-gamblers,  not  only  rob  industry  of  half  its 
earnings,  but  destroy  the  means  of  production  by  con 
trolling  money  and  withholding  it  from  the  producers 
when  most  needed. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

WHILE  Baxter  was  visiting  bankers  in  England, 
Coy  and  Saunders  had  not  been  idle.  After 
returning  to  their  place  in  Kiyongo,  they  made  it  a 
point  to  become  more  intimate  with  John  Benedict 
Sherman.  This  Mr.  Sherman  was  a  man  of  fair  ability 
but  was  without  honest  motive.  Naturally  he  was  a 
traitor  at  heart,  was  not  ostentatious  but  loved  money; 
with  him  it  seemed  to  be  a  mania.  He  was  willing  to 
enter  into  any  plot  to  impoverish  others,  in  order  to 
increase  the  size  of  his  own  useless  pile  of  gold;  not 
because  he  needed  it  but  because  he  wanted  it.  When 
he  had  succeeded  in  robbing  others,  he  did  not  hide 
his  face  for  shame,  but  stood  boldly  up  and  made  long 
arguments,  full  of  subterfuge  and  point-blank  lies,  to 
cover  up  his  work  and  make  black  look  white. 

He  had  one  very  peculiar  trait  of  character  and  that 
was  to  buy  American  gold  coin  with  every  dollar  he 
had  to  spare.  The  Coin  being  at  a  discount,  as  Mexi 
can  silver  is  in  the  United  States.  In  buying  it  he 
would  increase  his  number  of  dollars  and  would  rake 
it  in  from  the  treasurer's  counter  with  a  chuckle  which 
indicated  an  idiosyncrasy  representing  gold-worship, 
probably  inherited  from  some  of  his  ancestors  far  in 
the  past.  He  had  a  building  of  his  own,  with  an 
under-ground  vault  where  he  kept  his  gold  coin;  he 
would  often  go  into  it,  and  by  the  light  of  a  candle 
count  it  over  and  over  again,  sometimes  for  hours. 
He  was  getting  old  and  had  no  children  to  inherit  his 
wealth;  but  like  the  common  wood-rat  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  he  semed  to  possess  a  mania  for  increasing 
his  pile,  without  any  visible  reason  for  so  doing. 

Messrs.  Saunders  and  Coy  were  not  slow  in  discov- 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  335 

ering  this  peculiar  trait  in  the  man's  character.  It 
appeared  that  a  brother  of  his,  being  a  man  of  noble 
character,  had  in  the  past  done  some  great  service  to 
the  people  and  being  now  dead,  this  man,  John  Bene 
dict  Sherman,  in  consequence  of  his  brother's  noble 
deeds,  had  the  full  confidence  of  the  people,  and  great 
influence.  It  was  therefore  decided  to  court  his 
friendship  and  have  him  ready  for  use;  from  that  time 
he  was  feasted  on  every  occasion. 

For  a  long  time  they  had  been  acquainted  with  a 
couple  of  fast  young  men,  or  rather  rough  gentry  as 
they  supposed — Jack  Pixley  and  Tim  Bowen.  These 
two  men  claimed  to  be  doctors,  but  it  was  evident 
they  had  but  little  practice,  for  to  all  appearance  they 
were  always  at  leisure;  the  two  became  acquainted  with 
each  other  through  Saunders  and  Coy.  After  this  the 
four  gentlemen  often  took  oysters  together  and  fre 
quently  met  at  the  halls.  They  had  given  hints  to  Coy 
and  Saunders,  that  they  were  first-class  crooks,  had 
plenty  of  money,  but  were  always  ready  to  make  an 
honest  dollar.  They  had  both  been  anarchists — one  in 
New  York,  the  other  in  Chicago — but  both  were  now 
at  leisure.  It  occurred  to  Coy  and  Saunders  that  the 
services  of  these  men  might  be  of  importance;  they 
invited  them  to  their  rooms  which  were  furnished  in 
fine  style;  the  house,  too,  was  not  without  its  well- 
stocked  liquor  and  card  room;  here  the  gentlemen 
spent  many  a  lively  night  in  playing  that  favorite 
American  game  called  poker. 

The  game  was  very  limited  for  all  agreed  it  was  only 
a  friendly  game  with  money  enough  on  the  board  to 
make  it  interesting;  some  nights  cards  were  dispensed 
with  and  the  whole  evening  was  given  up  to  revelry. 
On  one  of  these  occasions,  when  all  had  become  quite 
lively,  Mr.  Pixley  said  he  had  been  a  confidence  man 
in  New  York,  and  in  consequence  of  a  little  killing  he 
had  to  get  out.  Since  he  had  been  here  he  had  robbed 
several  men,  but  his  experience  had  been  that  the 
sub-treasury  system  was  so  complete  that  every  man  in 
the  country  carries  a  check  book,  the  money  stays  in 
the  treasury  and  these  checks  do  the  business  of  the 


AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

country,  so  if  you  rob  a  man  you  get  nothing  and  it 
don't  pay.  Saunders  then  took  him  into  his  confi 
dence  and  told  him  that  he  had  a  little  job  on  hand 
that  there  would  probably  be  lots  of  money  in,  but  it 
was  likely  to  require  a  little  blood-letting. 

"O  that's  all  right,"  said  Pixley,  "I  am  an  Ameri 
can  of  the  late  pattern  and  anything  for  money  is  my 
motto."  "Correct,"  said  Saunders. 

While  this  conversation  was  going  on  Coy  and  Bowen 
were  in  another  room  making  up  a  fresh  lot  of  hot  stuff 
and  as  they  returned  the  conversation  was  dropped. 
The  glasses  were  filled  and  Coy  offered  the  following 
toast:  "The  United  States  and  honest  money." 
Pixley  now  became  eloquent  and  delivered  a  tirade 
upon  the  new  Republic,  denounced  its  rag-baby  money 
system  and  finally  wound  up  his  remarks  with  eulogies 
on  John  Sherman  and  the  Stuffed-Prophet,  both  of 
honest  money  and  sound  currency  fame  in  the  United 
States.  This  speech  met  with  hearty  approval  and  all 
drank  to  the  Stuffed-Prophet.  When  the  night  was 
well  spent  in  drunken  revels  the  party  separated,  to 
all  appearance  with  the  very  best  of  feeling.  When 
Pixley  and  Bowen  took  their  leave,  Saunders  and  Coy 
agreed  that  the  two  men  were  bricks.  Saunders  said 
that  he  believed  that  man  Pixley  would  think  no  more 
of  killing  a  man,  than  he  would  of  killing  a  fly. 

The  next  day  Saunders  and  Pixley  met  by  chance 
and  went  to  a  private  room  in  a  hotel  where  they  took 
several  drinks  out  of  Saunders'  bottle.  After  a  little 
more  talk  as  to  the  prospect  of  something  exciting  in 
the  near  future,  where  all  would  have  an  opportunity 
to  distinguish  themselves  and  make  a  few  honest  dol 
lars,  it  was  arranged  that  Pixley  should  make  it  a 
point  to  meet  Bowen  and  feel  of  him  gently  to  see  if 
it  would  be  advisable  to  let  him  in  to  any  of  their  plans. 

After  a  few  days  Pixley  again  met  Saunders,  gave 
him  the  substance  of  two  or  three  conversations  with 
Bowen  and  wound  up  by  saying,  he  believed  that  all 
that  would  be  necessary  would  be  for  them  to  approach 
him  carefully  and  convince  him  there  was  money  in  it; 
Saunders  was  of  the  same  opinion,  so  it  was  arranged 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  337 

that  Pixley  and  Bowen  should  come«  around  and  spend 
an  evening  occasionally  until  further  developments. 
After  this  Pixley  and  Bowen  might  often  have  been 
seen  engaged  in  frivolous  conversation,  making  their 
way  at  early  evening  to  the  rooms  of  Saunders  and 
Coy,  where  they^  would  spend  long  hours  in  gambling 
and  drinking;  the  plot  still  remained  in  embryo. 
After  several  weeks  had  passed,  Baxter  appeared  on 
the  scene;  on  telling  his  experience,  Coy  and  Saunders 
were  impatient  for  some  move  toward  the  accomplish 
ment  of  their  hearts'  desire,  that  of  overthrowing  in 
some  way  the  present  money  and  property  system  and 
establishing  the  gold  base  and  English  land-law  system. 
But  the  money  lord  had  decided  to  travel  over  the 
country  before  seeing  them,  but  at  last  he  entered  the 
city,  quite  unnoticed.  True,  his  name  had  been  taken 
from  the  hotel  register  by  the  evening  paper,  but  there 
were  no  millionaires  to  hob-nob  with  him,  nor  did 
Senators  and  Congressmen  seek  his  advice,  for  the 
referendum  put  a  quietus  on  them. 

Mr.  Baxter  met  him  at  the  hotel  and  afterward 
escorted  him  to  the  private  rooms  of  Saunders  and 
Coy;  the  four  had  a  pleasant  chat  and  it  was  remarked 
that  the  great  money-lord  loved  champagne  as  well 
as  a  common  man  loves  whiskey;  in  fact,  he  finally 
threw  off  his  mask  and  called  for  whiskey  straight 
and  all  acknowledged  after  he  was  gone,  that  a  money- 
lord  is  very  much  like  other  people,  when  robbed  of 
the  power  of  gold.  Saunders  said  that  no  man  of 
any  distinction  cound  command  the  respect  that  is  due 
him,  in  a  country  where  the  common  herd  are  fed  on 
the  fat  of  the  land.  Said  he:  "Had  we  received  the 
Lord  in  style  due  to  his  rank,  driven  him  about  the 
city  in  a  coach  and  four,  and  foot-men  in  livery,  as 
they  would  do  in  Washington,  every  paper  in  the 
country  would  have  made  its  grand  effort  to  get  out  a 
cartoon  which  should  be  more  ridiculous  than  all 
others;  as  the  papers  are  daily  visitors  to  every  family 
circle,  the  affair  would  meet  with  ridicule  from  one 
end  of  the  country  to  the  other,  and  thus  a  man  of 
wealth  loses  prestige. 


338  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

As  this  was  the  first  time  that  the  Lord  had  found 
an  opportunity  to  take  a  social  glass  with  kindred 
spirits  since  he  had  been  in  the  Republic,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  he  got  a  little  too  full  and  the  whole 
night  was  given  up  to  bacchanalian  orgies,  or  what  is 
called  by  common  people,  a  regular  old  drunk. 

The  next  night  the  Lord  of  money  again  dropped  in; 
this  time  without  Baxter.  After  a  few  drinks,  he 
proceeded  to  business.  The  Lord  was  given  a  com 
plete  history  of  the  growth  of  the  new  Republic  and  a 
full  explanation  of  its  peculiar  laws;  several  plans  were 
suggested  but  nothing  was  agreed  upon;  it  was  finally 
agreed  that  they  would  meet  in  secret  at  least  once  a 
week,  and  that  they  would  have  a  regular  meeting 
every  Saturday  night  to  which  Baxter  would  be 
admitted.  They  dare  not  trust  him  in  all  their  plans, 
but  needed  his  services  too  much  to  be  willing  to  lay 
him  one  side  entirely. 

It  was  further  arranged  that  the  Lord  should  make 
the  acquaintance  of  some  of  the  Senators;  to  accom 
plish  this,  the  Senator,  John  Benedict  Sherman  would 
be  used.  A  few  nights  later  they  again  met  and 
getting  filled  up  on  hot  whiskey  the  Lord  gave  as  his 
opinion  that  nothing  short  of  revolution  would  accom- 
lish  anything.  Sherman,  he  said,  seemed  to  be  the 
only  man  that  could  be  handled;  beside,  said  he:  "The 
Senators  have  no  power;  under  their  peculiar  business 
system  there  are  so  few  conflicting  interests  that  law  is 
made,  in  a  great  measure,  unnecessary  and  the  Refer 
endum  works  to  a  charm.  Public  sentiment  makes 
the  law  and  as  there  are  no  political  parties,  no 
saloons  and  the  newspapers  are  run  by  stock  compa 
nies  with  plenty  of  money,  and  are  limited  in  their 
profits,  I  see  but  one  way  and  that  is  to  overthrow  the 
Government;  in  organizing  a  new  one,  get  in  our  gold 
bank  and  land-laws;  this  done  the  remainder  of  the 
work  will  be  easy." 

After  a  long  and  earnest  council  it  was  conceded 
that  the  most  plausible  plan  was  to  secure  the  original 
copy  of  the  Constitution  and  rights  of  man,  have  them 
doctored  so  as  to  make  gold  the  money  of  the  country; 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  339 

if  this  could  be  accomplished  through  Senator  Sher 
man,  they  could  then  organize  a  conspiracy,  employ 
roughs,  have  Lincoln,  Bundy,  Jefferson  and  Summer- 
ville  assassinated,  and  burn  the  Capitol;  then  in 
organizing  a  new  Government  the  new  copies  of  the 
Constitution  would  recognize  gold  and  in  the  excite 
ment  it  would  be  passed  over  unnoticed,  as  was  the 
demonetizing  of  silver  in  the  United  States  in  1873. 
This  done,  they  believed  they  could  get  gold  in  circu 
lation  and  of  course,  national  banks  would  soon  follow. 
"This  done,"  said  the  money  Lord,  "it  will  be  only  a 
question  of  time." 

"I  think  it  will  work  all  right,"  said  Saunders,  "if  we 
can  get  rid  of  these  few  men."  "I,  too,"  said  Coy. 

After  draining  their  glasses  once  more,  the  money 
Lord  said:  "We  will  continue  our  social  meetings 
and  obtain  all  the  information  possible;  further  than 
this  we  can  do  nothing  until  I  hear  from  my  people. " 

Thus  saying,  he  took  his  departure. 

Immediately  after  this,  the  following  letter  was  sent 
to  a  friend  at  home. 


CITY  OF  KIYONGO,  CENTRAL  AFRICA,  August  ioth. 
To  the  Earl  of  Tuxbury; 

My  Dear  Sir:  I  have  delayed  writing  from  week  'to 
week  and  from  day  to  day,  hoping  that  something 
favorable  would  result,  but  as  yet  am  completely  non 
plussed.  I  find  things  very  different  here  from  the 
United  States.  There  they  fall  over  one  another  to  do 
honor  to  a  man  of  wealth;  the  newspapers  herald  his 
approach  and  political  tricksters  are  after  him  for  bids; 
you  can  buy  the  leaders  of  the  great  parties  and  they, 
with  the  help  of  the  saloons,  control  the  vote.  The 
banks  too  are  always  with  you  in  financial  legislation; 
here  there  are  no  banks  nor  saloons  and  no  political 
parties;  the  great  corporations,  instead  of  being  for 
you,  are  against  you.  There  gold  and  silver  have 
always  been  their  money;  here  it  has  never  been 


AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

used;  here  their  whole  financial  system  is  founded 
upon  this  general  principle,  that  gold  and  silver  are 
productions  of  the  earth,  consequently  have  a  value  as 
bullion  which  must  change  as  do  all  other  commodities, 
according  to  its  production  and  use. 

That  money  is  created  by  the  Government  in  order 
to  facilitate  book-keeping  and  enable  parties  to  make 
exchange  of  commodities,  that  like  a  note  or  order,  a 
bill  payable  or  a  bill  receivable,  its  values  should  never 
change;  therefore  it  is  claimed  that  money  made  of 
gold  has  two  values,  one  a  bullion  value  which  is 
always  changing,  another  a  money  value  which  should 
never  change;  to  harmonize  the  two  is  simply  impos 
sible.  They  should  therefore  be  kept  forever  separate. 

Finance  is  taught  here  in  all  the  schools  and  this  is 
the  fundamental  principle;  the  old  theory  of  giving 
money  an  intrinsic  value,  has  been  so  scoffed  at  and 
ridiculed  here,  that  I  am  fully  convinced  that  legisla 
tion  in  favor  of  metal  money  is  entirely  out  of  the 
question  for  the  present. 

In  approaching  any  public  men  here  in  regard  to 
the  use  of  gold,  they  say  at  once,  they  have  gold 
enough  in  their  mountains  to  supply  the  world  with 
money.  They  also  say  they  don't  need  the  gold  and 
they  have  no  men  to  spare  to  dig  it;  that  while  other 
nations  are  producing  gold,  they  will  be  found  busy 
producing  something  of  more  value  to  man;  this  is  the 
way  they  talk.  Only  yesterday  a  man  said  to  me: 
"My  kind  sir,  do  you  know  that  we  have  extensive 
treasury  vaults  full  of  gold  and  silver  bars  which  are 
the  products  of  our  mines?  That  the  immigrants 
bring  millions  of  dollars  of  American,  English  and 
German  gold  coins  to  our  country?  These  being  at  a 
discount  here  soon  find  their  way  into  the  Government 
vaults.  That  we  have  plenty  of  national  money  in 
circulation  to  keep  al1  business  active  and  every  man 
in  the  country  employed?  We  manufacture  everything 
and  import  but  very  little.  As  we  have  the  most  im 
proved  machinery  in  the  world  and  no  interruption  of 
business  in  consequence  of  breaking  banks  or  want  of 
confidence,  our  own  productions  are  simply  enormous, 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  341 

and  as  our  own  vessels  keep  the  surplus  production 
constantly  dumped  upon  foreign  markets  to  sell  for 
what  it  is  worth  there,  we  are  often  forced  to  take  gold 
and  silver  in  exchange.  It  has  become  a  rule  with  our 
foreign  trade  to.exchange  all  our  gold  accumulation 
for  interest  bearing  bonds  or  other  securities;  but  when 
this  is  sometimes  found  impossible,  the  gold  is  shipped 
home  to  the  already  bursting  vaults,  and  thus,  from  so 
many  sources  the  great  pile  of  gold  continues  to  increase 
its  bulk. 

"Our  methods  differ  materially  from  the  Americans; 
they  exchange  their  surplus  productions  for  confidence 
and  interest;  we  exchange  for  such  articles  of  commerce 
as  we  need  and  when  we  can  get  nothing  else  we  take 
gold.  Our  paper  money  is  worth  more  than  gold, 
simply  because  merchants  can  buy  more  of  our  goods 
with  it  than  they  can  with  gold.  What  do  you  sup 
pose  we  care  about  an  International  Conference?  Our 
people  have  all  the  mechanical  arts  and  sciences  known 
to  man  and  if  other  nations  were  to  use  all  the  gold 
they  have  to  make  a  golden  calf  and  all  fall  down  and 
worship  it,  our  system  would  not  be  changed  a  particle. 
We  only  want  the  rest  of  the  world  to  consume  our 
products;  we  have  enough  and  some  to  spare  and  we 
don't  care  what  kind  of  money  other  people  use.  If 
they  were  to  push  their  golden  calf  into  the  ocean 
and  through  their  blind,  superstitious  worship  of  gold, 
follow  it  in,  the  loss  of  the  gold  would  not  affect  us  in 
the  least,  but  the  loss  of  the  people  would.  If  all  the 
gold  on  earth  were  sunk  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  does 
any  one  suppose  the  world  would  be  materially 
affected?  It  would  only  be  a  blow  to  superstition." 

This  is  the  way  these  people  talk.  It  is  claimed  by 
some  of  our  most  successful  financiers,  that  to  work  a 
man  successfully,  you  must  bring  a  pressure  of  some 
kind  to  bear,  then  you  can  get  his  attention  and  in 
some  way  control  him.  The  business  system  and 
peculiar  laws  here,  make  every  man  so  completely 
independent  there  is  no  chance  for  a  deal;  public 
sentiment  is  free,  it  is  not  controlled  by  monetary 
pressure;  hence  men  fear  public  sentiment.  In  the 


342  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

United  States,  public  sentiment  is  controlled  by  the 
money  power,  through  the  use  of  national  banks,  news 
papers,  the  associated  press,  whiskey  and  saloons; 
hence  men  say:  "Public  sentiment  be  damned,  all  I 
want  is  money." 

The  press  here  is  perfectly  at  ease;  there  are  ten 
newspapers  here  to  one  in  the  United  States  and  they 
are  said  to  be  well  supported.  All  large  papers  are 
run  by  companies  controlled  by  the  Government,  the 
people  owning  the  stock.  The  editors  of  that  class  of 
papers  work  for  a  salary  and  while,  in  a  great  measure, 
they  control  public  sentiment,  it  is  only  an  intellectual 
control;  its  force  and  power  consists  in  being  right. 
If  wrong,  public  sentiment  soon  finds  a  way  to  make 
itself  felt,  to  that  extent  that  it  can  be  consistently 
said:  "Public  sentiment  controls  these  large  papers." 
The  smaller  papers  are  run  by  private  enterprise  and 
probably  in  their  way,  do  as  much  toward  moulding, 
as  do  the  large  ones.  If  one  of  these  editors  goes 
crooked  the  others  would  burn  him  up  and  if  it  were 
possible  to  buy  every  paper  in  the  country,  public 
sentiment  would  start  new  ones;  beside,  even  if  it 
could  be  done,  it  would  cost  much  for  the  risk.  From 
this  you  will  see  what  a  difficult  matter  it  will  be  to  do 
anything  in  this  direction. 

T  have  examined  their  coast  defenses  and  am  sur 
prised  to  find  every  point  fortified,  and  the  only  army 
they  have  is  drilling  on  these  batteries;  they  have 
extensive  ship-building  works  and  have  constructed  a 
cigar-shaped  vessel  for  the  purpose  of  smoking  our 
battle-ships;  its  purpose  is  to  collide  with  our  vessels. 
It  carries  no  guns  and  no  shot  can  affect  it;  it  requires 
but  six  men  to  manage  it,  and  they  have  a  safety 
apparatus  by  which  the  crew  escapes  if  the  boat  goes 
down  in  colliding;  it  is  built  for  a  speed  that  will 
overhaul  our  vessels,  and  they  claim  to  have  enough 
ot  these  turtle-backed  monsters  to  sink  one-half  of  the 
English  navy,  with  no  particular  risk  to  themselves. 
They^are  designed  for  harbor  defense,  and  after  seeing 
one,  I  am  convinced  it  will  clo  all  they  claim. 

If  they  sink  in  colliding,  they  say  the   loss   is   small 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  343 

in  comparison  to  the  damage  that  might  be  done  by 
one  of  our  great  ships.  Their  manufacture  of  firearms 
is  not  to  be  excelled,  and  it  is  claimed  that  they  could, 
if  necessary,  put  a  large  army  in  the  field  in  a  few 
days;  still  they  have  not  the  expense  which  other 
countries  incur  in  keeping  a  regular  standing  army; 
even  their  police  force  has  very  little  to  do,  and  all 
things  considered,  it  seems  to  me  like  a  very  dangerous 
project  to  urge  a  war  with  these  people. 

They  are  all  soldiers  at  will,  and"  statesmen  from 
necessity;  having  no  political  parties  to  guide  them, 
vote  from  principle;  they  pay  no  fancy  prices  for 
public  service,  and  there  is  no  country  in  the  world 
which  exacts  more  from  its  public  servants.  They  are 
not  man-worshipers  and  it  is  said,  that  if  a  president 
die,  there  is  hardly  a  school  district  but  can  furnish  a 
man  to  fill  his  place. 

Their  manufacturing  establishments  are  a  marvel  of 
perfection  and  they  have  established  this  fact  beyond 
controversy  that  labor,  money  and  system  are  the  three 
requisites  in  production;  they  have  a  maxim:  "That 
nature  produces  men,  Government  makes  money  and 
system  is  the  outgrowth  of  constant  effort  to  overcome 
obstacles."  I  believe  if  we  were  to  send  a  half  dozen 
battle-ships  here  to  force  an  issue  of  any  kind,  there 
would  be  a  gala  day  in  the  cities,  while  the  monsters 
which  are  impervious  to  shot  and  shell  would  send 
them  to  the  bottom. 

After  a  careful  study  of  this  matter,  my  conclusions 
are  that  there  is  but  one  method  by  which  we  may  hope 
for  a  reasonable  degree  of  success  in  securing  the  con 
trol  of  money  here,  and  I  have  formed  my  plans  to  that 
end.  I  have  some  good  men  as  helpers— Messrs.  Coy, 
Saunders  and  Baxter  are  all  staunch  men  and  can  be 
depended  upon.  I  have  also  made  the  acquaintance  of 
a  man  by  the  name  of  John  Benedict  Sherman,  a  mem 
ber  of  the  Senate,  in  high  standing,  principally  in 
consequence  of  some  noble  deeds  of  his  brother;  his 
price  is  rather  extravagant,  I  think,  but  without  doubt, 
he  can  be  bought  to  do  whatever  is  necessary.  Our 
plan  is  to  organize  a  band  of  staunch  men,  secure 


344  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

possession  of  the  original  Constitution  and  rights  of 
man,  and  have  them  so  changed  by  an  expert  penman, 
as  to  abridge  some  of  the  radical  points;  this  done, 
we  will  probably  have  to  resort  to  very  extreme  meas 
ures  before  accomplishing  much  in  the  way  of  legisla 
tion;  therefore  should  you  hear  of  anything  startling, 
you  must  consider  that  it  was  unavoidable;  the  fact  is, 
this  paper  money  system  must  be  destroyed  or  it  will 
destroy  all  our  gold  interests  throughout  the  civilized 
world.  They  are  even  now  talking  about  making 
another  large  shipment  of  gold  to  the  United  States  to 
be  exchanged  for  securities;  it  is  not  their  production 
of  gold  that  we  need  to  fear,  but  it  is  their  example  in 
their  use  of  paper  money  and  the  sub-treasury  plan, 
which  will  sooner  of  later  take  the  place  of  our  gold 
and  national  banks,  and  this  would  be  the  downfall  of 
class  supremacy. 

Should  you  still  desire  that  I  should  make  an  effort 
to  crush  the  monster,  you  will  please  send  at  once  the 
best  expert  penman  you  can  command;  have  him  bring 
such  chemicals  as  will  be  necessary  to  remove  ink  and 
doctor  the  Constitution.  I  shall  make  no  report  until 
I  have  accomplished  something,  but  will  write  you  an 
occasional  private  letter. 

Very  truly  and  respectfully  yours, 

DEAD  EARNEST  SEYD. 
(Lord  Luxenburg. ) 

After  this  letter  was  written  the  parties  already 
named  continued  to  hold  their  secret  meetings  in  which 
plans  were  formulated.  The  money  Lord,  Coy  and 
Saunders  had  a  secret  plan  which  they  dare  not  lay 
before  Baxter  or  Sherman;  this  was,  that  after  the 
Constitution  had  been  doctored,  Lincoln,  Bundy  and 
Summerville  were  to  be  assassinated;  having  learned 
that  Jefferson  was  about  to  return  to  the  United  States 
his  name  was  not  taken  into  account;  then  the  public 
buildings  were  to  be  burned  and  all  books  destroyed, 
except  the  original  copy  of  the  Constitution,  which  was 
to  be  doctored. 

It  was  believed  that  this  general   destruction   would 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  345^ 

be  followed  by  placing  Senator  Sherman  in  the  Presi 
dential  Chair,  and  once  there  he  could  be  depended 
upon  to  do  anything  for  gold;  all  agreed  that  to  pile 
up  gold  was  the  height  of  his  ambition.  The  money 
Lord  could  afford^to  make  him  a  millionaire  twice  over 
to  get  legislation  in  favor  of  gold. 

Coy  suggested  that  arrangements  should  be  at  once 
made  with  Sherman  to  have  Saunders  put  in  charge  of 
the  police  on  Sherman's  coming  into  power,  and  that 
salaries  of  these  men  be  largely  increased. 

"That  is  right,"  said  the  money  Lord,  "if  we  can 
control  the  police  and  sheriff,  we  can  enforce  such 
laws  as  are  to  our  liking  and  nulify  the  others;  if  the 
people  make  too  much  noise  the  number  of  police  can 
be  increased;  when  we  get  control  of  the  public  crib. 
we  can  afford  to  pay  these  fellows  well." 

"The  salaries  of  all  officers,"  said  Saunders,  "should 
be  doubled  at  once.  In  this  way  we  will  secure  their 
confidence.  See  how  they  increase  the  salaries  in  the 
United  States  and  mark  the  effect.  It  became  a  panic 
and  extended  from  president  to  constable." 

They  had  already  secured  the  services  of  Pixley  and 
Bowen  to  do  the  killing,  for  which  service  they  were 
to  receive  from  the  money  Lord  $100,000  each. 

Time  passed  slowly  and  meetings  were  discontinued 
for  a  time  in  order  to  avoid  suspicion,  but  each  man 
was  busily  engaged  in  getting  better  acquainted  with 
the  officials.  After  a  Ions:  and  anxious  waiting,  a  man 
arrived  from  England,  prepared  to  change  the  Consti 
tution.  The  money  Lord,  Sherman,  Saunders  Baxter, 
Coy  and  the  expert  penman  at  once  held  a  meeting} 
their  plan  was  outlined  by  the  money  Lord,  as  follows: 
Sherman  was  to  secure  the  original  copy  of  the  Con 
stitution  and  bring  it  to  their  place  of  meeting  on  the 
following  night  at  half  past  seven,  when  they  would  all 
be  together;  the  work  of  changing  the  Constitution 
would  begin  at  once.  "That  done,"  said  the  Lord, 
"we  will  lay  on  our  oars  and  see  what  we  can  do 
toward  having  a  law  paased  in  favor  of  gold." 

They  then  separated  in  different  directions,  but  in 
accordance  with  previous  arrangements,  the  money 


346  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC, 

Lord,  Saunders  and  Coy  met  again  at  the  same  place 
an  hour  later.  After  quietly  enjoying  their  whiskey 
toddy  and  cigars,  the  discussion  began;  all  agreed  that 
favorable  legislation  would  be  impossible  until  they 
were  rid  of  the  objectionable  parties;  the  money  Lord 
said  that  as  soon  as  these  men  were  out  of  the  way  and 
the  excitement  of  the  affair  had  subsided,  he  thought 
there  would  be  but  little  difficulty  in  getting  gold  made 
the  money  of  the  country.  "Then,"  said  he,  "we  will 
have  a  power  by  which  future  legislation  can  be  con 
trolled.  The  next  step  will  be  a  national  bank,  and 
then  the  thing  will  run  itself. " 

He  referred  to  the  manner  in  which  silver  had  been 
demonetized  in  the  United  States  by  a  mere  trick; 
neither  the  men  who  voted  for  the  bill  nor  the  Presi 
dent  who  signed  it,  knew  that  it  demonetized  silver,  and 
yet  it  became  a  law  and  millions  upon  millions  of 
money  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  money  class  from 
its  enforcement.  "While  this  was  being  done,"  said 
he,  "the  people  were  kept  quiet  by  strong,  silver  coin 
age  planks  in  all  political  parties,  and  that  is  one  thing 
we  must  attend  to  here;  we  must  never  miss  an  oppor 
tunity  to  raise  political  strife  that  will  be  likely  to  lead 
to  the  organization  of  parties.  It  will  be  much  easier 
to  buy  the  leaders  than  the  voters;  the  referendum, 
too,  must  be  repealed  or  nulified;  this  Government 
control  of  whiskey  must  also  be  broken  up,  and  the 
right  to  run  saloons  restored  to  the  people,  for  that  is 
a  very  prominent  part  of  our  system. " 

Pausing  for  a  moment  while  all  hands  took  another 
drink,  the  money  Lord  proceeded  to  discuss  at  length 
the  working  of  the  gold  game.  "National  banks," 
said  he,  "are  the  machines  which  do  the  work;  as 
attachments,  we  have  the  broker's  office,  clearing 
house,  saloons,  trusts,  lotteries,  gambling  houses  and 
bucket  shops;  as  supports  we  have  the  two  great 
political  parties,  board  of  trade,  subsidized  newspapers 
and  associated  press;  as  methods  we  have  the  control 
of  money,  bonds,  mortgages,  interest,  discount,  confi 
dence  and  money  panics;  as  arguments  we  have  sound 
currency,  honest  dollars,  rag-baby,  reform,  protection., 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  347 

over-production,  parity,  and  a  Government  debt  is  a 
Government  blessing. 

The  system  has  been  planted  in  the  United  States, 
and  its  successful  working  there  has  been  too  great  to 
admit  of  a  doubt,^  but  immediately  on  making  gold  the 
money  of  this  country,  our  success  is  assured,  and  the 
desired  results  will  follow,  as  a  matter  of  course." 

The  others  coincided,  so  they  took  another  drink; 
all  smiled,  then  laughed,  then  smiled  again  and  took 
another  drink;  this  time  all  hands  clicked  glasses  to 
the  health  of  Johnnie  Bull  and  the  national  banks; 
a  ha  ha  ha,  followed  this  and  all  lit  fresh  cigars. 

By  this  time  all  had  become  quite  well  enthused  and 
Saunders  explained  that  Pixley  and  Bowen  could  be 
depended  on  to  do  the  killing  of  at  least  two;  that  he 
would  take  care  of  the  others,  and  all  that  was  neces 
sary  was  the  fixing  of  the  Constitution,  and  by  the 
snap  of  his  finger  he  could  send  the  fanatics  to  hell. 

"Don't  talk  so  loud,"  said  Coy,  feeling  alarmed  at 
the  simple  utterance  of  such  words. 

"Why,"  said  Saunders,  "have  these  walls  ears,  or 
has  the  earth  become  a  telephone  that  I  should  fear  to 
speak?  I  tell  you,  gentlemen,  I  knew  full  well  some 
years  ago  that  this  would  come  about,  and  I  did  not 
build  these  walls  so  loose  and  thin  that  the  vulgar 
horde  might  list  to  what  I  say;  no,  no,  not  I,  they  are 
two  feet  thick  or  more.  The  very  floor  is  stuffed  and 
air-tight  overhead,  beside  the  room  above  is  where  I 
sleep  and  is  always  under  lock  and  key.  Here,  far 
beyond  the  reach  of  human  ear,  is  where  I  come  to 
think  and  drink,  and  drink  and  think  and  lay  my 
plans;  and  now  that  it  will  soon  be  mine  'to  beard  the 
Lion  in  his  den,'  I  feel  quite  brave.  Long  years  have 
they  my  efforts  all  despised;  debased  my  gold  and  made 
of  me  a  laughing-stock;  ha  ha,  these  knaves:  their 
time  is  short  tor  power  will  soon  be  mine,  and  when  I 
wield  the  scepter  ray  ambition  shall  be  satisfied.  Gold, 
gold  will  be  the  power  with  which  I'll  crush  these 
toiling  hordes  that  fatten  at  the  cost  of  Government 
employ,  while  men  with  gold,  pass  by  unnoticed  and 
without  due  respect. 


348  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

"Hate,  hate,  yes,  cruel  hate  shall  be  the  watch-word 
of  my  heart's  desire,  until  I  quench  with  deadly  fire, 
the  life  of  these  my  mortal  foes. 

"Buried  down  beneath  the  floor  I  have  the  glittering 
gold  on  which  I'll  found  this  nation's  bank  and  on  that 
base  I'll  furnish  money  for  this  land;  they  have  what 
they  call  money  now,  but  I  do  not;  'tis  trash,  green 
back  would  be  a  better  name,  and  when  these  fanatical 
knaves  are  gone  and  Sherman  in  the  chair,  we  soon 
will  have  contraction,  and  then  it  is  I'll  make  my 
power  felt. 

"When  words  of  want,  consternation,  misery  and 
woe  come  forth  as  from  a  burning  hell;  alms-houses, 
prisons,  jails  all  full,  Soldiers'  Homes  for  many 
thousands  more;  other  millions  tramping  for  a  job  and 
soup-houses  everywhere;  then  it  is,  and  not  till  then, 
they  will  come  to  me  for  help.  I'll  give  it,  not  in  gold, 
but  paper  money,  based  on  gold,  honest  money,  sound 
currency. " 

Once  more  the  glasses  clicked  and  the  Stuffed 
Prophet  received  their  compliments.  Soon  the  party 
retired;  the  Lord,  Chief  Counselor,  Financier  and 
Banker,  Dead  Earnest  Seyd,  to  his  hotel,  Coy  to  his 
private  home  and  Saunders  to  his  room  above,  all  to 
meet  the  following  night  to  doctor  the  Constitution. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

WE  must  now  return  to  the  hotel  in  the  city  of 
Summerville  and  continue  to  record  the  travels 
and  experiences  of  Mrs.  Goldburg,  Rebecca  and  Min 
nie.  In  a  former  chapter  it  will  be  remembered  that 
Rebecca  had  accepted  a  proposition  to  address  one  of 
the  leading  Progressive  Societies  of  the  place.  Several 
days  elapsed  before  the  appointed  time,  during  which 
the  ladies  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  family  at  the 
hotel,  by  the  name  of  Gardner;  the  family  consisted  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gardner  and  four  children,  only  one  of 
whom,  a  daughter,  was  at  present  at  the  hotel.  The 
eldest  was  a  son,  Charles  by  name;  then  Mary,  Jennie 
and  Theodore.  They  lived  on  a  farm  in  the  interior, 
nearly  one  hundred  miles  from  Summerville,  and  sixty 
miles  from  Kiyongo. 

On  this  occasion  Mr.  Gardner  had  come  to  the  city 
in  a  light  carriage,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  eldest 
daughter,  Mary.  As  their  route  was  through  a  beau 
tiful  farming  country,  thickly  settled,  and  the  roads 
being  fine,  they  had  preferred  coming  this  way  in 
order  to  visit  friends  along  the  route.  Mr.  Gardner 
was  a  very  unassuming  man,  but  the  essence  of 
politeness. 

Rebecca  was  greatly  attracted  by  this  family  and 
found  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gardner  to  be  persons  of  deep 
thought,  who  had  ascended  to  intellectual  heights  where 
superstition  seemed  a  pigmy,  far  below.  Mary,  too, 
was  a  bright  girl  and  at  once  became  the  favorite  of 
these  ladies.  Her  disposition  was  so  innocent  and  con 
fiding,  that  Rebecca  and  Minnie  took  her  to  their 
hearts  and  she  became  their  constant  companion;  Mrs. 
Gardner  and  Mrs.  Goldburg  also  became  fast  friends, 
and  as  the  family  were  to  return  home  in  a  few  days, 
they  insisted  that  Mrs.  Goldburg  and  the  two  young 
ladies  should  accompany  them.  It  would  give  them 


350  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

an  opportunity  to  see  something  of  the  interior  of  the 
country,  and  also  to  make  new  acquaintances. 

Their  carriage  had  three  seats,  and  the  roads  being 
smooth,  all  could  ride  comfortably,  and  as  they  were 
desirous  of  seeing  the  country  as  far  as  possible,  they 
decided  to  go. 

Before  they  left  the  hotel,  Mrs.  Goldburg  was  not 
only  surprised,  but  felt  highly  complimented,  at  receiv 
ing  from  the  Street  Car  company,  a  pass  over  their 
line  while  they  remained  in  the  city;  taking  into  con 
sideration  the  wonderful  cheapness  of  this  way  of 
travel,  it  did  not  amount  to  much  in  a  money  point 
of  view. 

The  reader  will  naturally  wonder  that  Rebecca  was 
able  to  prepare  for  her  lecture  on  such  short  notice, 
but  it  must  be  remembered  that  while  she  was  at  home, 
she  had  long  weeks,  months  and  even  years  of  leisure, 
all  of  which  she  had  devoted  to  self-improvement. 
She  had  not  only  read,  but  had  written  a  great  deal; 
among  these  writings  were  lectures,  leisurely  and  care 
fully  prepared;  some  of  them,  even,  committed  to 
memory  and  rehearsed  before  her  mother  and  Colonel 
Bundy's  family.  The  subject  of  the  lecture  she  had 
chosen  for  this  occasion  was,  "Crime,  Its  Causes  and 
Its  Cure." 

The  subject  being  an  important  one,  the  Lecture  was 
the  result  of  much  careful  study,  and  to  say  that  its 
rendition  was  a  success,  would  be  tame  language. 
She  had  expected  to  address  a  small  audience  of  only 
the  members  of  the  Society,  and  when  she  learned  that 
she  was  to  appear  before  an  audience  of  five  or  six 
thousand  she  was  somewhat  abashed;  she  possessed 
great  determination,  however,  and  accepted  the  situa 
tion;  she  had  often  been  upon  the  rostrum  before. 

On  this  occasion  she  went  upon  the  platform  and  in 
a  calm,  clear  and  earnest  voice,  dealt  with  facts  in  so 
forcible  a  manner  as  to  win  the  confidence,  admiration 
and  love  of  that  great  audience.  As  a  result  of  the 
appreciation  of  her  efforts,  the  ladies  were  tendered  a 
banquet  before  they  left  the  city. 

Three  days  after  the  lecture  they  took  their  depature 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  351 

but  the  time  was  so  occupied  in  receiving  calls,  that 
they  were  obliged  to  give  up  for  the  present,  all  further 
explorations  of  the  city. 

From  information  gained  through  interviews  the 
ladies  were  bt  one  opinion,  that  the  improved  condi 
tions  were  only  made  possible  by  the  limit  of  the 
accumulation  of  wealth  in  the  hands  of  individuals. 
All  conceded  that  the  establishment  of  great  monetary 
dynasties  to  roll  on  down  the  ages,  and  become  a 
power  in  the  hands  of  a  few  to  interfere  with  the 
honest  working  of  Government,  trade  and  commerce, 
to  the  injury  of  the  masses,  long  after  the  man  who 
first  made  the  accumulation  is  dead,  and  gone  to  that 
place  where  no  man  goes  until  he  has  surrendered  the 
last  farthing,  is  wrong.  That  it  is  a  custom  dangerous 
to  good  government,  to  liberty  and  civilization;  that 
it  is  a  custom  that  comes  down  to  us  from  semi- 
barbaric  age;  that  it  belongs  to  hereditary  Kingship 
and  should  be  expunged  from  all  Republics  .where 
people  aspire  to  a  higher  state  of  civilization. 

The  days  passed  quickly  amid  such  enlivening 
experiences,  and  the  morning  for  their  anticipated  trip 
came.  The  start,  which  is  always  regarded  as  the  most 
difficult  part  of  a  journey,  had  been  made  without 
incident.  The  day  was  all  that  could  be  desired,  the 
roads  smooth  and  their  route  took  them  past  many  a 
comfortable  home,  situated  on  a  forty-acre  tract  ot  land, 
and  occupied  by  people  both  intelligent  and  prosperous; 
the  land  all  seemed  to  be  surveyed  in  long,  narrow 
strips  running  back  form  the  road. 

The  houses  were  not  large  but  artistically  built  and 
in  various  styles;  one  thing  was  noticeable,  all  were 
surrounded  by  trees  both  ornamental  and  shade,  and 
shrubbery  and  flowers  abounded;  neither  was  there  a 
neglect  of  fruits  and  vegetables;  indeed,  Mrs.  Gardner 
remarked  that  their  tables  were  largely  supplied  the 
year  'round  from  their  own  gardens  and  orchards;  not 
only  that,  but  the  cellars  were  well  filled  with  canned 
fruits  and  vegetables  which  they  prepared  by  a  method 
of  their  own,  to  keep  indefinitely;  each  family  had  a 
small  pasture  where  a  few  Jersey  cows  and  a  few  horses 


352  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

and  sheep  were  kept — the  American  hog  being  dis 
pensed  with.  Another  habit  of  these  people  which 
vMrs.  Gardner  mentioned,  is  that  they  are  adopting  an 
almost  exclusive  vegetable  and  fruit  diet,  combined 
with  milk,  and  for  this  reason  they  prefer  the  Jersey  to 
any  other  kind.  They  believe  such  food  more  con 
ducive  to  health  and  longevity,  beside  being  more 
easily  produced  than  a  diet  which  includes  meat. 

"Don't  you  find  it  difficult  to  supply  the  table  with 
a  sufficient  variety  of  dishes  to  satisfy  the  taste,  with 
out  meat?"  asked  Mrs.  Goldburg. 

"Not  at  all,"  was  the  quick  reply.  "On  the  contrary, 
I  have  found  that  we  live  better  now  than  when  we 
used  more  meat;  then  we  too  often  thought  that  if  we 
had  meat  alone,  that  was  sufficient,  while  now  we  take 
greater  pains  to  have  vegetables  well  seasoned  with 
butter  or  cream;  in  addition  to  this,  we  are  never 
.without  some  kind  of  fruit.  When  we  get  to  Uncle 
Ben's  to-night,  you  will  see  what  a  really  good  country 
meal  is,  and  I  doubt  if  you  would  eat  meat  if  they 
had  it.  I  believe  the  day  will  come  when  people  will 
look  back  upon  this  generation  of  meat-eaters  with  the 
same  feeling  of  disgust  which  we  have  for  cannibals." 

It  was  now  near  noon.  They  had  been  constantly 
meeting  farm-wagons  going  to  the  city,  laden  with 
products  of  the  garden,  farm  and  orchard;  each  wagon 
was  driven  by  a  citizen;  good,  honest  and  intelligent; 
not  a  Chinaman  or  a  dago  was  seen.  The  thought  that 
each  of  these  men  had  a  home,  a  wife  and  innocent 
children,  and  that  these  homes  were  made  secure  by  a 
•Government  for  the  people,  and  protected  from  every 
species  of  invasion,  was  food  for  reflection.  Mrs. 
Goldburg  called  the  attention  of  Mr.  Gardner  to  the 
absence  of  all  low  and  ignorant  classes  of  foreigners, 
such  as  are  often  seen  in  the  United  States. 

"This,"  said  he,  "is  easily  accounted  for;  the  United 
States  corporations  run  the  country  and  control  the 
legislation;  their  first  move  is  to  secure  a  high  tariff  on 
imports;  this  shuts  out  foreign  competition.  The  next 
step  is  to  pool  all  interests  and  put  wages  as  low  as 
possible,  and  to  secure  plenty  of  help  in  case  of  strikes 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  353 

they  import  paupers  by  millions,  and  they  become 
useful  to  the  money  power  in  controlling  the  price  of 
labor.  Here  we  have  no  money  power,  no  pools,  no 
monopolies.  No  man  comes  to  our  country  except  of 
his  own  free  will  and  pays  his  own  expenses.  True, 
we  have  extensive  emigrant  societies,  but  they  are  like 
Missionaries  and  work  for  the  good  of  the  country; 
their  office  is  to  go  among  the  most  intelligent  classes 
of  the  foreigners,  circulate  literature  giving  all  facts 
necessary  to  secure  a  good  class  of  emigration." 

At  noon  they  drove  up  before  a  farm-house  standing 
nearer  the  road  than  was  common.  The  Gardners  had 
stopped  at  this  same  house  on  their  way  to  the  city. 
Seeing  them  the  lady  at  once  recognized  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gardner,  and  coming  to  the  carriage,  invited  them  to 
stop  for  dinner,  an  invitation  they  very  willingly 
accepted.  The  husband  of  the  lady,  just  then  coming 
from  the  field,  assisted  Mr.  Gardner  in  putting  up  his 
team  while  the  ladies  passed  into  the  house  and  the 
gentlemen  soon  joined  them.  While  dinner  was  being 
prepared  by  the  lady  of  the  house  and  her  two  daughters, 
the  party  took  seats  upon  the  porch. 

It  was  evident  that  the  travelers  were  fully  alive  to 
the  changed  condition.  They  had  noticed  that  nearly 
the  whole  population  was  American  and  yet  they  were 
so  much  more  liberal  and  sociable  than  people  at 
home;  on  mentioning  this,  the  stranger  said:  "It  was 
the  confidence  people  had  in  their  ability  to  live  upon 
their  own  earnings  and  there  was  no  way  in  which 
others  could  build  up  monetary  dynasties  that  would 
eventually  rob  them  of  their  homes  and  means  of  living. 
When  we  feel  secure  in  all  these  things,  why  should 
we  not  be  sociable?  We  have  all  the  comforts  of  life 
and  save  money  every  year;  a  millionaire  can  have  no 
more."  "In  what  way  do  the  people  generally  invest 
their  earnings?"  said  Mrs.  Goldburg. 

"We  have  so  far  invested  them  in  stock,  but  the  last 
year  or  two  stock  has  been  very  hard  to  get;  the  only 
way  we  can  get  it  now  is  to  leave  our  money  at  the 
treasury  and  make  an  application  for  stock;  then  you 
are  entitled  to  the  first  that  is  on  the  market  in  your 


354  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

town,  according  to  date  of  deposit.  In  addition  to 
this,  as  an  investment,  we  are  constantly  improving 
our  lands,  thus  making  homes  for  our  children;  others 
spend  all  their  surplus  or  over-production  in  enabling 
their  children  to  come  to  the  front,  intellectually;  while 
some  spend  all  their  surplus  in  frivolous  enjoyment 
and  high-living. 

"Instead  of  one  man,  like  Astor,  owning  his  $100,- 
000,000,  we  have  1,000  persons  with  $100,000  each; 
these  1,000  persons  spend  a  great  deal  more  in  luxury 
than  the  one  millionaire,  and  this  all  helps  to  keep 
our  money  in  circulation. " 

"In  case  of  war,"  said  Mrs.  Goldburg,  "can  your 
Government  issue  bonds?"  "Certainly  not,"  said  the 
gentleman,  "we  would  only  continue  to  issue  money 
to  meet  all  demands." 

"But  would  not  that  produce  inflation?"  said  Mrs. 
Goldburg.  "To  some  extent,  probably,  and  prices  of 
everything  would  advance  in  proportion.  The  price 
of  labor  and  all  that  labor  produces  would  be  increased. 
Money  would  be  plentiful  and  business  active.  Gov 
ernment  then  having  power  to  control  all  corporations 
and  regulate  the  profit  on  business  done  by  these  great 
corporations  to  the  needs  of  the  government,  would 
raise  the  price  of  freight,  fares,  and  in  fact,  everything, 
until  the  profit  of  the  business  of  the  country  would 
keep  the  circulating  medium  within  bounds. 

"Congress  you  will  understand  has  power  in  time  of 
war  to  suspend  the  payment  of  the  five  per  cent  divi 
dend  on  stock  until  the  war  has  been  closed,  and  by  so 
doing  could  prolong  a  war  indefinitely." 

"But,"  said  Mrs.  Goldburg,  "will  not  money  then 
become  so  plentiful  as  to  lose  its  value?" 

"We  think  not,"  said  the  gentleman,  "in  fact  I  see 
no  reason  why  it  should.  Our  Government  is  the 
people  and  the  people  are  the  Government;  in  it  every 
individual  is  represented.  All  lands  belong  to  the 
people  or  Government;  individuals  having  only  pos 
sessory  title  to  small  tracts  of  land  so  long  as  they 
keep  the  same  in  use.  Our  money  in  based  upon  this 
land  and  cannot  depreciate  in  value,  unless  the  land 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  355 

also  depreciates.  As  money  becomes  more  plentiful, 
land,  with  all  other  property,  appreciates  and  preserves 
an  equilibrium.  The  stability  or  value  of  the  land  as 
a  surety  depends  upon  the  ability  of  the  Government 
to  defend  its  title,,  and  its  ability  to  defend  the  title 
depends  upon  the  patriotism  of  the  people.  History 
records  no  instance  where  an  intelligent  people  have 
been  called  upon  to  defend  their  homes  and  did  not 
respond.  It  is  only  bankers  who  hold  back  under  such 
circumstances  for  the  sake  of  speculation. 

"The  title  to  land  may  be  considered  good,  hence  its 
value  as  a  surety  cannot  be  questioned,  and  money  is 
also  good.  If  our  people  were  conquered,  and  our 
land  confiscated  by  the  conquerors,  our  money  would 
be  an  entire  loss.  When  a  country  has  its  money 
based  on  gold  and  is  conquered,  and  the  people  lose 
their  homes  by  confiscation,  they  lose  nothing  on  gold 
from  the  fact  that  the  bankers  ship  it  all  out  of  the 
country,  often  before  the  first  gun  is  nred,  all  for  the 
sake  of  the  'dear  people;'  I  will  let  you  decide  which 
is  best. " 

"Another  question,  Mr.  Gardner.  As  the  law  prevents 
the  collection  of  interest-bearing  debts,  what  will  citi 
zens  do  with  money  which  collects  in  their  hands 
during  flush  times?" 

"When  your  bankers,"  said  the  gentleman,  "have 
more  gold  coin  than  they  can  loan  to  advantage,  they 
store  it  away  in  vaults  until  such  time  as  it  is  needed; 
here  we  have  no  bankers,  consequently  the  people  have 
the  money  and  they  do  with  it  just  the  same  as  your 
bankers;  they  lay  it  away  or  deposit  it  in  sub-treasury 
vaults  until  it  can  be  used  to  advantage;  you  see  it  is 
like  a  postage  stamp,  always  good. 

"There  is  one  more  thing  that  our  Government  offers 
to  individuals  as  security  for  our  money.  You  are 
already  aware  that  we,  as  a  Government,  own  a  share 
in  the  profits  of  all  the  business  done  by  these  great 
joint  stock  companies,  and  they  are  as  numerous  as  the 
Government  is  large;  even  without  taking  our  land 
into  consideration,  this  alone  would  make  our  money 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

good  as  wheat,  and  far  better  than  gold,  a  thing  which 
you  can  neither  eat,  drink  nor  wear. 

"As  another  resource  in  time  of  war  is  that  our  Gov 
ernment,  in  order  to  protect  its  mines,  buys  all  gold, 
silver,  lead  and  copper  products.  The  surplus  of 
metals  is  carefully  stored  in  great  vaults,  where  it  will 
be  safe  in  time  of  war;  some  of  this  gold  has  long 
since  been  converted  into  United  States  bonds,  but  it 
comes  right  back  into  our  treasury  again,  as  interest, 
in  a  very  short  time  and  we  still  retain  the  bonds. 
As  the  United  States  is  a  producing  country,  these 
bonds  would  be  a  resource  in  time  of  war. 

"The  gold  and  silver  bullion  which  is  constantly 
piling  up  in  our  vaults  would  be  another  resource;  by 
its  shipment  we  could  keep  the  balance  of  trade  in  our 
favor  through  a  long  and  tiresome  war;  our  lead  and 
copper  surplus  would  also  be  a  resource.  We  believe 
that  by  being  well  prepared  for  war,  will  save  us  prob 
ably,  from  ever  having  one;  in  fact,  there  is  a  belief 
that  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  Justice  will  be 
enthroned  the  world  over;  then  war  will  be  unneces 
sary,  a  thing  of  the  past  and  known  only  in  history. " 

"If  you  will  excuse  my  inquisitiveness, "  said  Mrs. 
Goldburg,  "I  would  like  to  ask  who  built  all  these 
fine  roads?" 

"Certainly,"  said  the  gentleman,  "we  are  proud  of 
our  country  and  like  to  talk  about  it.  Our  Govern 
ment  controls  all  the  corporations  and  retains  from 
their  profit  2  per  cent  per  annum  for  the  entire  capital 
stock.  This  profit  is  so  enormous  that  the  money  of 
the  country  flows  to  the  treasury,  as  it  does  to  the 
banks  or  to  Wall  Street  in  your  country.  It  Govern 
ment  did  not  in  some  way  get  it  in  circulation  again, 
we  would  be  subject  to  the  same  panicky  conditions 
that  are  so  often  felt  in  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain  and  would  soon  have  starvation,  tramps  and 
soup-houses  right  in  the  midst  of  abundant  crops. 

"To  prevent  contraction  our  Government  once  a  year 
makes  an  appropriation  for  public  improvement  to 
cover  all  surplus  funds  on  hand,  and  with  a  view  to 
keeping  from  $50  to  $75  per  capita  of  money  in  circu- 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  357 

lation;  if  money  is  destroyed  or  placed  on  deposit  by 
the  people  and  thus  kept  from  circulation,  more  is 
issued  by  the  Government  to  preserve  an  equilibrium 
between  money  and  its  uses.  This  accounts  for  our 
turnpike  and  gravel  roads." 

Dinner  was  now  announced  and  the  travellers  were 
not  only  agreeably  surprised,  but  their  requirements 
were  fully  satisfied  by  an  array  of  good  things,  even 
though  there  was  an  absence  of  meat.  Dinner  was 
followed  by  an  hour's  pleasant  chat,  after  which  the 
guests  continued  their  journey,  feeling  as  if  they  were 
parting  from  old  friends  instead  of  acquaintances  of 
but  a  few  hours.  They  were  obliged  to  decline  a  press 
ing  invitation  to  remain  over  night.  The  drive  during 
the  afternoon  was  past  a  continuation  of  pleasant  homes 
where  prosperity  was  indicated  everywhere.  They 
continued  to  meet  loads  of  produce  being  taken  to  the 
city.  To  gratify  the  ladies,  Mr.  Gardner  of  ten  stopped 
and  made  inquiries  as  to  crops  and  other  matters  cal 
culated  to  give  information  to  the  strangers  as  to  the 
true  condition  of  affairs;  to  the  surprise  of  the  ladies, 
the  old  story  of  hard  times  and  scarcity  of  money, 
showing  distress  in  financial  affairs  so  often  heard  at 
home,  was  here  unknown.  The  only  thing  mentioned 
as  being  scarce  was  help;  "the  people  have  plenty  of 
land,  and  plenty  of  stock;  they  raise  an  abundance 
and  have  enough  to  sell,  and  if  help  were  more  plenty 
would  have  a  still  larger  surplus;  our  farms  are  not 
large  and  no  one  wants  to  hire  more  than  one  or  two 
men;  unless  they  can  find  men  who  have  been  well 
raised,  who  can  be  taken  into  the  family  and  treated 
as  such,  they  prefer  doing  without  help.  We  can  get 
negroes,  but  they  are  disliked  as  a  rule,  and  with  our 
good  machinery,  work  is  easy  and  we  have  a  surplus 
from  our  labor." 

As  they  progressed  on  their  journey  it  was  noticed 
that  the  farms  were  larger,  many  of  them  containing 
eighty  acres.  Mr.  Gardner  explained  that  the  farms 
were  surveyed  in  smaller  lots,  near  to  the  cities,  in 
order  to  secure  an  abundance  of  fruit,  vegetables  and 
eggs  convenient  to  market. 


358  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

They  had  just  passed  a  beautiful  farm  when  Rebecca 
remarked  to  her  mother:  "Can  you  tell  me  why  we 
have  not  met  one  man  in  all  this  time  carrying  his 
blankets?  These  people  must  have  beds  for  their 
men."  This  excited  Mr.  Gardner's  curiosity  and  Mjrs. 
Goldburg  explained:  "That  in  California,  she  had 
heard  it  said,  it  was  customary  for  workingmen  to 
carry  their  own  blankets  to  be  used  as  beds ;  they  were 
not  furnished  by  their  employers  with  so  much  as  a 
wind-break,  farther  than  what  a  wire  fence  might  give. " 

"Is  it  possible,"  said  Mr.  Gardner,  "that  free,  inde 
pendent  American  citizens  can  be  brought  down  to  so 
degraded  a  condition?" 

Long  before  night  they  reached  Uncle  Ben's.  The 
whole  family  were  all  on  the  lookout,  Uncle  Ben,  Aunt 
"Lizzie  and  the  children,  beginning  with  a  young  man 
nineteen  years  of  age,  down  to  a  little  girl  of  five,  were 
anxious  to  give  them  a  cordial  greeting.  They  were 
all  musicians,  and  had  two  violins,  guitar  and  bones, 
beside  a  fine  organ  and  plenty  of  hands  to  play  all; 
they  had  been  under  the  tutelege  of  a  fine  Master  and 
had  become  very  proficient;  in  addition  to  the  instru 
mental  music,  they  were  gifted  with  fine  voices  and 
entertained  our  friends  with  such  soul-stirring  strains, 
as  carried  them  away  to  that  realm  where  human 
thought  seems  to  communicate  with  angels. 

Minnie  was  a  lover  of  music  and  to  her  this  was  a 
feast.  In  her  ecstacy  she  exclaimed  to  Mrs.  Goldburg: 
"Why,  oh  why  will  Americans  deprive  themselves  of 
happy  homes  and  joys  like  these,  only  to  allow  a  few 
men  the  privilege  of  satisfying  a  chronic,  greedy  appe 
tite,  more  the  result  of  habit  and  education  than  of 
natural  law.  O,  will  people  ever  learn  to  listen  to  the 
words  of  Jesus,  lay  aside  greedy  desires  and  work  for 
the  good  of  all?" 

"It  would  seem,"  said  Mrs.  Goldburg,  "that  these 
people  have  pretty  thoroughly  solved  the  question  by 
establishing  a  Government  of  the  people,  and  for  the 
people;  Justice  crowned,  and  money-Kings  destroyed. " 

After  dinner  the  following  day,  our  travellers  tore 
themselves  away  from  *his  happy  family,  with  a  feeling 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  359 

of  gratification  at  the  kind  treatment  they  had  received 
and  all-  agreed  that  it  was  folly  to  be  encumbered  with 
wealth,  when  such  comfort  and  happiness  could  be 
found  in  country  homes.  A  competency  was  to  their 
minds  a  surer  passport  to  happiness  than  a  surplus  of 
wealth. 

"The  greatest  sin,"  said  Rebecca,  "if  such  a  thing 
as  sin  exists,  is  for  a  set  of  men  to  organize  themselves 
into  a  conspiracy  to  rob  such  people  as  these  of  their 
little  homes,  with  their  luxuries  and  comforts  and 
means  of  enjoyment,  through  a  carefully  prepared  sys 
tem  of  banks,  interest,  mortgages  and  control  of  money; 
if  the  people  of  the  United  States  do  not  rise  in  their 
might  and  overthrow  the  monster,  the  system  from  its 
own  vile  wickedness  will  destroy  itself. " 

"I  wish  we  could  visit  those  people  again,"  said 
Minnie,  as  they  drove  away.  "I  shall  never  forget 
them,"  said  Rebecca,  "and  I  mean  to  write  to  them." 

"Mother,"  said  Rebecca,  after  a  few  moments  of 
silence,  "do  you  know  this  makes  my  heart  ache  for 
the  people  at  home?" 

"Why  so?"  said  her  mother. 

"Why,  mother,  only  think  of  the  contrast;  while 
these  people  are  free,  happy  and  contented,  with  a  sur 
plus  of  everything;  the  finest  free  school  system  in  the 
world,  no  foreign  capital,  no  foreign  credit,  no  foreign 
debt,  no  bank,  no  millionaire's  and  no  paupers;  our 
people  have  a  similar  country  to  this;  good  credit 
abroad,  large  national  debt,  one-third  of  the  business 
owned  by  foreign  syndicates,  biggest  crop  of  mushroom 
millionaires  the  world  has  ever  seen;  paupers,  tramps, 
soup  houses  everywhere;  with  all  this  they  are  not 
happy,  contented  nor  satisfied,  but  are  still  found 
voting  for  more. 

"In  this  land  we  hear  no  cry  of  distress.  Every 
farmer  owns  his  own  home;  no  rent,  no  taxes;  with 
good  tools,  improved  machinery,  and  all  at  work,  each 
produces  a  surplus,  and  it  is  because  they  are  aot 
robbed  by  a  National  banking  system,  that  they  arefcll 
able  to  enjoy  life.  When  the  farmer  and  laboring 
masses  prosper,  trade  is  always  good  with  merchants; 


360  AN     IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

in  fact  everybody  has  a  little  money  and  something  to 
do,  consequently  everybody  feels  good.  When  surplus 
goods  are  shipped  away,  there  comes  something  in 
return  to  contribute  to  man's  happiness.  In  our 
country,  statesmen  say  that  over-production  brings 
want  with  starvation;  surely  they  are  honorable  men. 

"While  they  are  sending  great  ship-loads  of  wheat, 
beef,  pork  cotton,  rice  and  many  other  things  abroad 
to  pay  for  the  use  of  gold,  the  people  whose  labor 
produced  these  things  are  crying  for  bread,  and  still 
they  vote  yes,  blindly,  blindly  vote.  I  fear  our  people 
are  not  capable  of  self  government.  Here  we  read  no 
accounts  of  the  Treasurer  of  State  conferring  with  a 
council  of  bankers  to  devise  means  to  relieve  the  wants 
of  the  dear  people,  simply  because  there  are  no  banks, 
no  bankers  nor  any  pegple  in  want. " 

"There  is  one  thing, "  said  Mr.  Gardner,  "before  it 
slips  my  memory.  In  your  country  an  unprincipled 
man,  by  the  accidental  discovery  of  a  mine  or  by 
getting  to  the  bottom  of  some  great  swindle,  founds  a 
great  estate;  nature  has  decreed  that  his  time  of  ras 
cality  and  oppression  shall  be  short  and  death  cuts  him 
off;  your  laws,  instead  of  placing  the  property  at  his 
death  among  the  people  who  rightfully  own  it,  and 
from  whom  it  has  been  drawn,  either  by  chance  or 
rascality,  actually  preserve  it  as  a  power  to  roll  on 
down  the  ages  and  crush  and  grind  the  unfortunate 
people  who  come  in  contact  with  it,  just  in  proportion 
to  the  good  or  bad  disposition  of  the  man  under  whose 
management  it  happens  to  fall." 

"That  is  true, "  said  Rebecca,  "and  it  would  certainly 
seem  right  to  let  a  man's  power  to  oppress  end  with 
his  death,  and  your  inheritance  law  seems  to  accom 
plish  this  admirably." 

We  will  not  attempt  to  follow  the  party  through  their 
long  journey,  but  simply  state  that  the  remainder  of 
the  trip  was  similar  to  that  already  described,  one  con 
tinuous  scene  of  prosperity,  happiness  and  good  cheer. 
On  arriving  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Gardner,  which  was  a 
jnost  delightful  one,  they  found  that  the  boys  had  been 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC,  361 

left  in  charge  outside,  while  an  aged  aunt  had  been 
their  housekeeper. 

As  in  TSncle  Ben's  family,  the  children  were  all 
musical.  They  had  instruments  and  knew  how  to  play 
them.  It  was  understood  by  the  children  that  the 
ladies  were  to  remain  a  week,  and  they  were  antici 
pating  a  fine  time.  They  had  ample  time  before  night 
to  explore  the  flower  garden,  and  Mary  took  great 
pleasure  in  showing  its  beauties  to  Minnie  and  Rebecca ; 
Mary  noted  with  delight  the  development  of  her  favorite 
plants  and  was  rejoiced  to  find  everything  in  such 
splendid  condition. 

Mrs.  Gardner  thought  Minnie  was  a  little  hasty  in 
asking  the  young  ladies  to  go  out  before  giving  them 
a  chance  to  even  rid  themselves  of  dust,  but  they  were 
as  eager  to  go  as  Mary  was  to  have  them  and  returned 
to  the  house  feeling  repaid  for  such  a  variety  of  shrubs 
and  flowers  they  had  never  seen  before;  indeed, 
Rebecca  was  so  fond  of  flowers  that  she  listened  with 
as  much  eagerness  to  their  childish  glee  in  telling  who 
each  plant  belonged  to  and  who  it  was  from,  as  she 
would  have  done  to  a  discourse  from  Henry  Ward 
Beecher.  After  thoroughly  inspecting  the  flower  gar 
den,  Mary  took  them  to  the  pasture  to  see  "old  Bloss, " 
their  old  family  cow;  then  they  must  go  down  the  lane 
to  see  "old  Beck's,"  new  calf,  which  Jennie  said  was 
the  "sweetest  calf"  she  ever  saw.  The  young  ladies 
felt  a  deep  interest  in  the  happiness  of  their  little 
companion,  and  enjoying  the  healthful  exercise  of 
following  her  through  a  narrow  walk  with  shade  trees 
on  either  side,  which  combined  use  as  well  as  beauty  in 
yielding  a  bountiful  crop  of  nuts. 

On  they  went  down  the  long  lane,  only  stopping  to 
admire  the  rich  plumage  of  some  feathered  songster  or 
listen  to  its  sweet  warblings.  At  last  the  gate  was 
reached  and  passing  through  they  found  the  cows 
standing  quietly  in  the  shade;  the  cows  seemed  to 
recognize  the  fact  that  Mary  had  returned  and  sub 
mitted  willingly  to  the  caresses  the  little  ones  bestowed 
upon  them.  Then  the  colts  came  in  ior  a  share  of 


362  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

attention  and  each  was  admired  in  turn  and  its  history 
given  in  hill. 

During  this  ramble  Rebecca's  thoughts  were  not  idle 
she  was  contrasting  this  happy,  contented  home-life 
here,  with  home-life  in  the  United  States,  where  a  few 
were  struggling  to  get  everything  and  place  it  beyond 
the  reach  of  the  masses,  while  the  masses  in  turn  were 
struggling  to  keep  what  they  have  for  their  children 
or  subsist  on  a  crust  while  their  principal  crop  goes  to 
pay  the  interest  on  a  mortgage  which  was  given  for 
greenbacks  that  had  already  been  paid  as  interest;  still 
the  principal  now  demands  gold,  which  is  worth  more 
than  twice  as  much  as  the  greenback  was;  all  this  to 
keep  up  a  splendid  banking  system. 

Alter  supper,  which  was  thoroughly  enjoyed,  each 
one  attended  to  his  own  particular  duties  about;  the 
place,  and  Mrs.  Goldburg  and  Rebecca  retired  to  the 
parlor,  while  Minnie  lent  her  assistance  to  Mrs.  Gard 
ner  in  the  dining  room. 

As  soon  as  the  lamps  were  lighted  all  gathered  in  the 
parlor  where  a  pleasant  evening  was  passed  in  conver 
sation  and  music;  a  number  of  the  young  people  of  the 
neighborhood  happened,  in  and  each  contributed  to  the 
musical  part  of  the  entertainment,  so  that  Mrs.  Gold- 
burg  remarked  upon  the  fact,  and  Mr.  Gardner  pro 
ceeded  to  say:  "My  dear  lady,  music  is  not  only 
taught  in  all  our  schools,  but  teachers  are  employed  in 
nearly  every  family,  so  if  you  were  to  travel  from  one 
part  of  this  country  to  the  other,  you  would  find  music 
everywhere."  When  this  musical  treat  was  ended,  the 
older  ones  withdrew  to  another  room,  leaving  the  young 
people  to  enjoy  themselves  to  their  own  tastes. 

Mrs.  Goldburg  began  the  conversation  by  saying: 
"In  looking  over  your  paper  I  see  that  your  mines  of 
gold,  silver,  lead,  copper  and  iron,  also  your  manu 
facturing  industries  and  transportation  are  all  carried 
on  upon  the  grandest  scale;  your  iron  and  steel  works 
are  almost  equal  to  those  in  the  United  States,  and 
still  you  say  there  is  no  foreign  capital  invested  in  the 
whole  country?" 

"O   no,"   said   Mr.    Gardner,   our  financial  system  is 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  363 

the  secret  of  our  success.  In  your  country,  when  they 
want  to  build  a  railroad,  or  erect  some  great  manu 
facturing  work,  that  will  cost,  say  $100,000,000,  a 
company  is  organized  and  issues  $100,000,000  stock. 
Then  a  couple  ot  men  are  posted  off  to  New  York 
Boston,  and  finally  to  England  and  sell  the  stock  at  a 
big  discount;  then  they  build  the  road;  if  the  money 
runs  short,  they  issue  bonds  (mortgage)  for  more  money 
which  also  goes  to  England  in  exchange  tor  gold. 

"When  the  road  is  completed,  they  charge  such 
enormous  freight  rates  and  fares  that  it  becomes  nec 
essary,  in  order  to  have  their  profits  look  reasonable, 
to  call  the  road  that  cost  $100,000,000  worth  twice 
that  amount;  this  they  call  capitalizing.  Honest  men 
and  people  who  pay  fare  and  freight  are  not  supposed 
to  understand  the  full  meaning  of  this  word,  it  belongs 
only  to  financiers.  To  common  people,  it  seems  to 
have  a  double  meaning;  in  fare  and  freight  terms  it 
means  much,  more  or  all;  in  tax  times  it  means  right 
the  reverse;  little,  least,  nothing. 

"The  result  of  this  system  is,  that  the  English  syn 
dicate  soon  gets  the  gold  back  and  still  owns  the  road. 
Tn  this  country  our  people  framed  a  constitution  treat 
ing  gold  and  silver  as  commodities;  it  was  provided 
that  it  be  held  in  vaults  to  be  used  as  bullion  in  satis 
fying  the  balance  of  trade  with  foreign  countries.  It 
was  agreed  that  our  money,  like  checks  or  drafts, 
belongs  to  the  book-keeping,  exchange  or  business 
department  of  the  country  and  is  simply  a  tool,  a 
means,  a  convenience  to  enable  citizens  to  exchange 
labor  and  the  products  of  labor  and  carry  out  business 
methods*  Its  value,  like  any  other  tool,  consists  in  the 
many  uses  to  which  it  can  be  employed.  That  our 
people  will  need  this  money  as  long  as  they  continue 
to  do  business;  for  the  next  thousand  years.  Money 
made  of  gold,  if  kept  in  actual  circulation  would,  it 
was  believed,  in  one  hundred  years  lose  from  wear  one- 
fourth  of  its  original  weight  and  to  preserve  its  simi 
larity  to  other  coins  it  would  not  only  require  re-coinage 
but  would  also  require  a  large  purchase  of  gold.  To 
avoid  this  constant  expense,  it  was  agreed  to  use  gold 


364  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

only  as  a  commodity  in  bullion.  Government  made 
money  of  a  less  expensive  material  and  one  that  could 
be  renewed  at  a  small  cost.  The  value  thereof  was  to 
be  regulated  by  keeping  as  nearly  as  possible  from  $50 
to  $70  per  capita  in  circulation;  the  money  to  be  made 
a  full  legal  tender  for  all  debts,  both  public  and  private 

"To-  satisfy  a  few  old  moss-backs  who  believed  that 
money  could  have  no  value  unless  some  arrangement 
were  made  for  its  redemption  with  something  having 
intrinsic  value,  like  gold  or  silver,  it  was  ordained  that 
after  the  expiration  of  one  thousand  years,  if  the  peo 
ple  found  no  further  use  for  money,  they  could  then 
borrow  gold  on  bonds  to  redeem  it  with;  just  as  well 
as  for  us  to  be  running  in  debt  to  keep  up  the  interest 
and  wear  of  gold  through  all  that  time.  By  this 
arrangement  it  was  claimed  that  the  people  one 
thousand  years  hence  would  not  only  have  the  satis 
faction  of  gathering  all  the  gold  in  the  country  to  take 
the  place  of  money,  but  they  could  also  issue  bonds, 
establish  a  national  blessing,  and  their  children  will 
inherit  the  blessed  privilege  of  paying  the  interest  for 
all  time  to  come. 

"Our  Government  not  only  made  and  furnished 
money  for  all  these  great  enterprises,  but  the  stock 
representing  all  these  vast  sums  of  money  has  been 
reserved  for  our  own  people,  just  the  same  as  they 
reserve  the  land,  only  the  use  of  the  land  is  given  to 
citizens  and  their  heirs  free  of  rent  or  taxes,  forever, 
or  as  long  as  they  keep  it  in  use  as  a  home,  and  the 
stock  furnishes  them  an  investment  for  their  savings. 

"As  the  inheritance  law  prevents  its  being  monopo 
lized,  you  will  find  it  now  scattered  among  the  people 
and  does  away  with  the  necessity  of  a  savings  bank.  " 

Rebecca  and  the  two  youngest  children,  becoming 
tired  of  play,  had  joined  the  circle;  Mr.  Gardner,  after 
pausing  a  few  moments  turned  to  his  wife  and  said: 
"Mother,  won't  you  show  Mrs.  Goldburg  our  stock?" 
In  response,  Mrs.  Gardner  turned  to  the  bureau  and 
proceeded  to  open  a  drawer;  it  was  plain  to  Rebecca 
that  some  new  treasure  was  about  to  be  disclosed  for 
she  had  noticed  that  the  children  had  been  very  much 


AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  365 

interested  while  the  father  was  talking  about  stock. 
In  another  moment  Mrs.  Gardner  returned  and  placed 
upon  the  stand  in  front  of  Mrs.  Goldburg  a  beautifully 
ornamented  treasure-box,  and  on  opening  it  four  large 
envelopes  were  ^taken  out.  On  each  was  printed  in 
beautiful  type  the  name  and  address  of  each  of  the 
children;  Jennie  and  Theodore  each  took  their  envel 
ope  and  showed  their  stock  to  the  ladies;  it  amounted 
in  all  to  several  hundred  dollars.  Jennie  explained 
that  their  father  gave  it  to  them  and  they  were  to  keefT 
it,  principal  and  dividend,  until  they  were  married) 
then  they  could  use  it  as  they  pleased. 

"The  pleasures,  joys  and  comforts  arising  from  the 
vast  amount  of  money  that  is  paid  out  each  year," 
said  Mr.  Gardner,  "among  the  people  as  dividend  on 
this  stock,  could  never  be  counted  in  dollars  and  cents. 
It  bears  its  good  fruit  everywhere." 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  Mrs.  Goldburg,  "but  can  it  last? 
My  observation  is  that  laws  so  absolutely  just  are  gen 
erally  evaded  in  some  way  or  not  enforced,  and  my  fear 
is  that  the  money  power  of  the  earth  will  finally  com 
bine  and  bring  to  bear  a  pressure  that  will  destroy  the 
system;  it  occurs  to  me  that  you  will  need  many  safe 
guards  to  maintain  it,  for  you  see  that  it  destroys 
plutocracy  absolutely. " 

"Just  so,"  said  Mr.  Gardner,  "and  the  safeguards 
that  we  depend  upon  are  our  free  schools  which  teach 
business  and  finance  to  the  end  that  every  scholar  of 
eighteen  is  well  posted  on  the  way  the  world  has  been 
robbed  by  the  gold  banking  frauds.  The  protective 
tariff  and  land  frauds  of  the  United  States  are  also 
thoroughly  exposed  in  our  school  histories;  next  to  our 
schools  is  the  initiative  or  referendum  which  brings 
every  change  in  statute  law  before  the  people;  the 
absolute  prohibition  of  all  political  parties;  we  also 
have  another,  which  I  believe  should  be  classed  second 
to  none,  and  that  is  universal  suffrage.  We  find  that 
ladies  will  vote  invariably  for  what  they  believe  will  be 
for  the  good  of  their  children,  and  no  amount  of  bribe 
money  or  false  logic  will  turn  them;  men  are  careless 
with  their  votes,  women  are  careful. " 


$66  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC, 

"Suppose  foreign  nations  refuse  to  take  your  money?" 
said  Rebecca.  "That  is  just  it,"  said  Mr.  Gardner, 
"that  is  just  what  we  want;  money  that  is  perfectly 
good  at  home  but  cannot  be  used  in  foreign  countries. 
We  require  a  certain  amount  of  money  to  conduct 
business;  when  that  money  is  withdrawn,  business 
suffers;  so  long  as  it  remains  in  circulation  at  home, 
it  is  where  we  want  it,  right  where  it  can  be  used. 

"When  you  started  for  this  country,  you  exchanged 
your  national  bank  currency  for  gold  coin;  when  you 
got  here  that  gold  coin  was  not  money  and  you  had  to 
go  to  our  national  treasury  and  sell  it;  you  did  this  to 
get  money  to  pay  your  expenses  while  here.  As  gold 
is  used  as  money  in  the  United  States  the  business  of 
that  country  has  suffered  a  loss  of  just  that  much  of 
this  money;  should  you  continue  your  journey  to  Eng 
land,  you  would  have  to  do  the  same  thing  there — go 
to  a  Broker  or  Bank  and  sell  your  American  coin  for 
just  what  the  gold  is  worth  as  bullion;  if  your  coin  is 
worn  and  falls  short  in  weight,  they  give  you  only  its 
bullion  value.  Suppose  one  of  our  people  go  to  Eng 
land  or  France — he  goes  to  the  Treasury  here  where 
he  buys  gold  bullion  for  50  per  cent  less  than  it  is 
worth  in  London;  when  he  gets  to  France  or  England 
he  sells  his  gold  bullion  just  the  same  as  you  sell  your 
American  coin,  only  he  gets  50  per  cent  more  than 
he  paid. 

"The  talk  that  you  hear  from  your  great  statesmen  in 
the  United  States,  'we  want  a  dollar  that  is  good  the 
world  over,'  is  either  sophistry  made  to  deceive  the 
confiding  people  they  are  so  systematically  robbing,  or 
it  is  the  voice  of  ignorance;  like  an  echo,  repeating  a 
shallow  sound. " 

"If,"  said  Rebecca,  "you  are  selling  gold  from  your 
treasury  for  50  per  cent  less  than  it  is  worth  in  Lon 
don,  why  don't  London  bankers  come  here  and  buy  it? 
That,  it  seems  to  me,  would  be  a  good  profit  on  gold. " 

"It  certainly  would,"  said  Mr.  Gardner,  "but  how 
will  they  get  the  money  to  buy  it  with?  They  can't 
come  here  and  buy  our  gold  with  English  or  American 
money,  because  foreign  gold  coin  is  worth  50  per  cent 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  367 

less  here  than  our  national  money;  so  after  a  banker 
pays  50  per  cent  premium  for  our  money  to  buy  gold 
with,  he  would  have  his  trouble  for  his  pains. 

"The  fact  is,  that  so  long  as  we  keep  our  people  all 
employed  with  our  abundant  capital  to  carry  out  so 
many  enterprises,  our  fine  machinery  to  work  with  and 
an  abundance  of  rich  soil,  we  will  continue  to  have 
over-production;  in  consequence  of  this,  our  exports 
for  all  time  to  come,  will  exceed  our  imports;  hence, 
gold  bullion  will  continue  in  the  future  as  in  the  past 
to  flow  into  our  treasury.  There  it  will  pile  up  and 
represent  our  over-production.  In  your  country  over 
production  is  a  ghost  from  whose  spectral  form  many 
a  half-starved  family  shrinks;  its  ghastly  presence  is 
felt  in  every  convention,  stands  guard  at  every  ballot 
box,  stalks  abroad  among  the  troubled  masses  and  cries 
aloud,  'I  am  the  winter  of  thy  discontent.'  We  have 
the  advantage  of  every  country  on  earth,  except  the 
United  States,  in  amount  of  superior  farming  land, 
rich  mines;  of  timber,  of  water-power,  and  we  fully 
believe  that  a  little,  unproducing  island,  like  Britain, 
will  never  be  able  to  compete  with  us  in  the  markets 
of  the  world.  We  have  the  advantage  of  the  United 
States  in  this;  they  pay  so  much  for  confidence  and 
credit  abroad,  that  the  people  are  impoverished  and 
not  able  to  increase  the  irproductive  powers. " 

"This  looks  all  right,"  said  Rebecca,  "but  how  about 
inflation?" 

"Inflation,"  said  Mr.  Gardner,  "is  another  English 
ghost  that  escaped  from  the  island  and  has  found  a 
home  among  American  statesmen.  Its  warning  cry  has 
been  heard  in  every  part  of  that  great  country;  it  is 
strictly  a  political  ghost  and  makes  its  home  among 
bankers.  Its  mission  is  to  frighten  the  victims  of 
plutocracy  and  keep  them  in  the  rank  of  ignorance. 
Inflation  is  a  myth;  a  gold-monger's  hobby;  the  law 
says  just  how  much  money  shall  be  put  in  circulation 
and  no  more.  When  people  have  free  coinage  of  gold, 
inflation  might  be  brought  about  by  the  discovery  of 
rich  gold  mines,  then  additional  legislation  would  be 
necessary;  it  is  the  same  way  with  our  money;  if  new 


368  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

mines  of  great  richness  were  discovered,  their  large 
products  would  increase  the  volume  of  money,  but  as 
the  taking  of  interest  is  not  allowed,  those  who  had 
more  money  than  they  could  use,  would  lay  it  aside 
until  the  Government's  share  of  profits  on  the  business 
of  the  country  would  reduce  the  circulation.  Our 
greatest  trouble  has  been  to  keep  the  money  in  circu 
lation;  the  tendency  has  been  toward  contraction,  by 
the  money  flowing  back  into  the  treasury. " 

"How  do  you  levy  State  taxes?"  said  Rebecca. 

"Taxes,"  said  Mr.  Gardner,  "is  a  word  that  is  almost 
obsolete  among  us  and  would  probably  be  expunged 
from  our  books  of  learning,  were  it  not  for  its  use  in 
limiting  incomes.  The  expense  of  Government  is 
quite  small.  We  have  no  land  disputes  but  can  be 
settled  before  a  Justice  of  the  Peace;  we  have  no  law 
suits  with  corporations  or  between  corporations.  All 
these  thousand-and-one  laws  growing  out  of  unlimited 
competition  of  unbridled  wealth,  have  been  unneces 
sary  by  our  improved  business  system.  In  order  to 
protect  our  elections  against  fraud,  we  put  the  salary 
of  officials  at  what  is  supposed  to  be  the  average  pay 
for  the  same  class  of  work  in  private  life.  We  there 
fore  pay  no  fancy  prices,  and  men  cannot  afford  to  pay 
much  money  to  get  an  office.  We  pay  no  interest  on 
bonds;  our  criminals  have  been  the  most  important 
item  of  expense,  but  even  that  is  light  in  comparison 
to  your  country  and  is  gradually  growing  less. 

"The  Government's  shire  of  the  profit  on  the  busi 
ness  of  the  country,  and  a  revenue  derived  from  a 
graduated  income  tax  is  so  enormous  that  it  has  been 
found  necessary,  in  order  to  keep  the  money  in  circu 
lation,  to  make  annual  appropriations  to  each  State  of 
so  much  money  per  capita;  this  has  been  found  suffi 
cient  to  pay  the  entire  expense  of  State  Government, 
including  schools. 

"The  cities  have  a  license  system  which  seems  to 
work  very  nicely;  as  the  cities  are  supported  by  the 
trade  of  the  people,  this  license  is  supposed  to  affect 
all  alike." 

"You  spoke  of  criminals,"    said   Mrs.    Goldburg,  "if 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  369 

your  criminal  code  is  as  different  from  ours  as  your 
other  laws  it  would  be  interesting  to  hear  something 
of  it,  if  not  asking  too  much." 

"Not  at  all,"  said  that  gentleman,  "our  treatment  of 
criminals,  I  assure  you,  is  very  different  from  that  in 
vogue  in  any  other  country.  We  start  out  on  the 
broad  ground  that  to  punish  crime  with  a  view  to 
avenging  the  wrong  done,  is  a  crime  itself.  It  is 
claimed  by  our  Law-giver  that  when  a  crime  has  been 
committed  and  the  fact  fully  established,  the  Court  has 
two  duties;  first,  to  the  people,  they  being  the  injured 
parties,  and  that  duty  is  to  prevent  a  repetition  of  the 
crime;  this  is  done  by  confining  the  criminal.  It  is 
claimed  that  crime  is  simply  an  effect.  Its  causes  are 
an  unbalanced  mind,  bad  education,  surroundings  or 
conditions.  Therefore  the  duty  of  Government  toward 
this  man  or  woman  is  to  improve  the  surroundings, 
enlighten  his  understanding,  and  doctor  and  improve 
his  mental  condition.  To  accomplish  this,  our  Peni 
tentiaries  are  like  small  cities  thoroughly  walled  in. 

"Life  prisoners  have  a  department  to  themselves; 
they  are  given  their  choice,  hard  work  or  an  educa 
tion;  to  avoid  hard  work  they  commonly  begin  study 
ing  very  diligently  and  finally  take  up  reading  as  a 
pastime.  Their  sanitary  regulations  are  of  the  best 
character  and  they  are  furnished  billiard  tables  for 
exercise  and  amusement.  Those  who  need  discipline 
are  carefully  managed,  but  those  who  are  industrious 
are  allowed  to  choose  their  own  hours  for  study,  reading 
and  recreation;  if  a  prisoner's  wife  wishes  to  follow 
him  into  prison,  she  is  allowed  to  do  so  and  provision 
is  made  for  her  comfort;  but  she  is  required  to  attend 
the  class  with  her  husband  and  advance  with  him 
intellectually. 

"Prisoners  for  smaller  crimes  are  allowed  four  hours 
for  work,  two  hours  each  day  for  recreation,  four  hours 
for  study;  they  can  learn  any  trade  they  choose,  and 
the  product  of  their  labor  is  kept  and  given  them  when 
they  are  discharged.  We  also  have  a  Humane  Society 
whose  business  it  is  to  provide  places  of  employment 
tor  these  unfortunates  when  they  are  discharged;  im- 


37O  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

prisonment  here  is  not  attended  with  disgrace;  on  the 
contrary,  it  is  considered  a  very  good  school  and  I 
have  known  a  number  of  cases  where  men  went  right 
from  the  prison  to  the  pulpit.  There  have  been  but 
few  cases  where  men  have  not  come  out  thoroughly 
reformed. " 

"Does  not  their  work  come  in  competition  with  honest 
labor?"  said  Mrs.  Goldburg. 

"There,"  said  Mr.  Gardner,  "is  another  absurdity  of 
bad  Government;  the  very  idea  of  complaining  of  a 
man  because  he  works.  If  your  American  friends 
would  adopt  an  Industrial  system  that  is  founded  upon 
Justice,  strip  the  money  lords  of  their  control  of  money, 
quit  tramping,  go  to  work  and  improve  the  country, 
they  would  soon  find  that  the  more  work  every 
man  did,  the  better  it  would  be  for  all,  Our  prisons 
are  schools  run  at  the  expense  of  Government  and  we 
visit,  take  an  interest  in,  and  are  as  proud  of  them  as 
we  are  of  our  free  school  system." 

"One  thing  more  I  would  like  to  ask, "  said  Rebecca. 
How  much  stock  are  you  allowed  to  buy?" 

"All  you  have  money  to  pay  for,  if  you  are  a  citizen; 
but  the  law  absolutely  prohibits  the  Government  from 
paying  dividends  to  foreigners." 

"Will  you  not  then  have  millionaires?" 

"O  no;  it  would  be  a  difficult  matter  for  a  man  to 
become  one  under  our  form  of  government.  You  can 
own  only  what  land  you  can  cultivate;  you  only  hold 
that  by  right  of  possession;  therefore  there  is  no  mak. 
ing  millions  out  of  land  speculation.  In  mercantile 
or  manufacturing  business,  you  would  come  in  compe 
tition  with  these  great  joint  stock  companies,  and  they 
do  business  on  so  small  a  margin  you  would  be  a  long 
time  reaching  the  million  mark. " 

"Well,"  said  Rebecca,  "suppose  a  young  man  were 
to  inherit  $100,000,  invested  it  in  stock,  compounded 
it  for  a  lifetime,  would  he  not  be  pretty  rich?" 

"If  he  did  this,"  said  the  gentleman,  "he  would  have 
to  earn  his  living  at  the  same  time,  so  he  would 
become  a  useful  citizen,  and  when  he  died,  all  his 
surplus  wealth  would  be  inherited  by  the  Government 


AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  37 1 

and  go  right  back  into  circulation  through  its  liberal 
appropriations;  beside,  we  have  a  tax  on  all  incomes 
above  $10,000,  levied  with  a  view  only  to  preventing 
an  aggregation  of  wealth. " 

"Then  you  really  think  your  Government  has  done 
away  with  rich  men  altogether?"  Rebecca  said. 

"Not  at  all,"  said  Mr.  Gardner,  "on  the  contrary, 
suppose  Gould,  Vanderbilt  and  Astor  to  be  worth 
$300,000,000;  in  place  of  these  three  rich  men  we 
would  have  6,000  men  with  $50,000  each,  and  in  this 
country  everything  is  produced  so  cheaply,  in  conse 
quence  of  keeping  our  people  constantly  employed, 
with  the  very  best  of  machinery,  that  $50,000  is  quite 
sufficient  to  keep  a  man  and  his  family  with  all  the  com 
forts  and  luxuries  that  even  a  millionaire's  wealth  can 
provide;  and  I  might  say  more,  for  in  consequence  of  all 
our  people  being  employed,  our  brightest  minds  find  time 
to  study  such  branches  of  the  sciences  and  of  art  as 
will  produce  luxuries  that  your  millionaires  never 
dreamed  of.  So  you  see  that  we  have  hundreds  of  rich 
men  where  you  have  but  one.  It  has  not  been  the 
purpose  of  our  Government  to  do  away  with  rich  men, 
but  to  make  conditions  such  that  all  who  are  inclined 
to  work  and  economize,  would  not  only  be  able  to  live 
in  comfort,  but  also  to  accumulate  something  for  their 
children;  also  bring  about  a  condition  of  affairs  that 
would  develop  the  latent  powers  in  man's  nature,  that 
the  world  might  receive  the  benefit  of  them. 

"Uur  system  encourages  the  bettering  of  man's  con 
dition  by  every  honorable  method;  but  forever  puts  the 
veto  on  any  man,  by  chance  or  rascality,  establishing 
a  monetary  system  that  will  continue  to  grow  until  it 
becomes  a  factor  in  Government.  The  question  that 
we  propose  to  solve  is,  shall  wealth  rule  and  govern 
the  people  or  the  people  control  and  govern  wealth." 

"What  do  you  think  of  the  theories  of  Government 
put  forth  by  Socialists?"  asked  Rebecca. 

"I  hardly  like  to  say,"  said  Mr.  Gardner,  "Socialists 
are  a  people  who  have  my  warmest  sympathy:  I  believe 
they  are  honest  in  trying  to  better  man's  conditition, 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

but  their  system  looks  to  me  like  taking  a  step  back 
ward.  The  Roman  church  is  socialism;  the  Mormon 
church  is  socialism.  1  have  read  Bellamy's  book — 
Looking  Backward — then  I  have  an  article  here  giving 
Anna  Regent's  views  of  a  social  Government.  To  me 
it  looks  more  like  the  picture  of  a  self-supporting 
poor  house,  where  a  few  direct  and  others  do  the  work. 

"The  greatest  boon  to  life,  is  liberty;  liberty  to  lay 
plans  for  your  own  welfare  and  to  advance  your  own 
interests  in  your  own  particular  way.  All  any  man 
wants  is  a  chance  to  work  out  his  own  destiny  inde 
pendent  of  Prince,  Potentate  and  Priest.  The  family 
is  by  nature  a  social,  independent  government  and  any 
law,  religious  or  political,  that  mixes  up  the  interests 
of  one  family  with  those  of  another  family,  is  wrong 
and  not  in  accordance  with  natural  laws.  As  an  indi 
vidual,  all  any  man  should  ask  is  justice;  as  a  member 
of  a  government  a  man  has  a  right  to  ask  justice  and 
protection  against  combined  powers  such  as  the  power 
of  crime,  the  power  of  combined  or  aggregated  wealth, 
the  power  ot  organized  bodies  such  as  churches,  mobs, 
and  parties. 

"We  hold  that  a  church  as  a  monetary  power  is 
wrong  and  to  be  feared;  that  all  churches  as  religious 
gatherings  for  honest  worship  are  right  and  should  be 
encouraged;  that  a  mass  meeting  for  the  purpose  of 
discussion  or  getting  an  expression  of  the  people  is 
good;  but  if  that  mass  meeting  continue  an  organiza 
tion  from  year  to  year  for  the  purpose  of  influencing 
legislation  or  the  vote  of  the  people  in  their  own  favor, 
it  becomes  a  conspiracy  and  should  be  prohibited. 

"With  us  political  parties  are  prohibited,  in  fact  all 
national  organizations  are  prohibited;  five  or  more 
persons  in  any  neighborhood  can  organize  for  any 
legitimate  purpose  and  secure  a  charter,  then  ground 
will  be  furnished  them  for  a  building;  but  they  state 
positively  in  their  articles  of  incorporation  that  they 
are  not  connected  with  any  similar  organization,  either 
financially  or  in  a  business  way;  that  they  pay  no 
tithing  or  money  in  any  way  to  any  other  institution; 
that  they  acknowledge  no  allegiance  to  any  man  in  any 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  $73 

way  outside  their  own  organization  or  to  any  power 
except  the  Republic." 

"I  should  think  that  would  be  a  blow  at  religion/' 
said  Mrs.  Goldburg. 

"It  don't  seem  to  be,"  said  Mr.  Gardner,  "you  see 
fine  churches  everywhere  and  our  ministers  are  never 
forced  to  the  sad  extremity  of  preaching  to  empty 
benches.  The  fact  is,  they  did  not  like  the  idea  at 
first,  but  one  after  another  called  their  little  crowd 
together  and  organized  a  church.  It  was  soon  found 
that  they  were  so  much  more  liberal  than  when  under 
church  discipline  that  the  plan  fairly  captured  the 
public  and  we  have  a  regular  boom  all  over  the  country 
in  church  building  and  church  going.  It  has  inter 
fered  with  the  church  of  Rome  more  than  any  other, 
and  we  consider  that,  not  as  a  church,  but  rather  a 
monetary,  political  despotism,  based  upon  superstition 
and  maintained  by  a  rigid  church  discipline,  centered 
in  an  infallible  Pope.  Its  mission  is  to  rule  through 
ignorance  and  money.  Since  these  people  through 
compulsion  of  law  have  been  forced  to  abandon  the 
Pope,  like  other  creed-bound  souls,  they  are  coming  to 
recognize  the  true  teaching  of  Christ,  the  Universal 
brotherhood  of  man,  and  are  fast  growing  out  of  their 
former  slavish  condition. " 

The  ladies  remained  a  few  days  longer  during  which 
they  took  many  delightful  drives;  in  answer  to  the 
question  as  to  how  their  magnificent  roads  were  built, 
Mr.  Gardner  said:  "Government  furnishes  the  money; 
sometimes  farmers  take  the  contract,  but  usually  it  is 
done  by  contractors  from  the  city;  they  always  have 
one  year  to  do  it  in,  so  they  can  take  a  dull  time  and 
thus  keep  their  men  constantly  employed.  In  this  way 
our  country  saves  millions  of  days'  work  that  in  you'' 
country  would  be  spent  in  tramping,  hunting  for  work.  * 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

WE  WILL  now  look  after  the  money  men.  In  a 
former  chapter  arrangements  had  been  made  for 
the  purpose  of  doctoring  the  Constitution.  They  met 
on  the  night  appointed.  The  Lord  Earl  Chancellor  and 
Dead  Earnest  Seyd,  accompanied  by  the  Expert  book 
keeper  and  penman,  in  the  room  of  Saunders  and  Coy 
and  were  soon  joined  by  Baxter,  Bowen  and  Pixley. 
Drinks  were  served;  the  money  Lord  and  Saunders 
then  passed  into  another  room  for  a  moment  and  held 
a  short  conversation  in  a  very  low  whisper. 

On  returning  to  the  room  the  money  Lord  placed  a 
sack  of  gold  on  the  table,  then  quietly  took  his  seat; 
Saunders  then  stepped  forward,  took  the  sack  and 
scattered  its  glittering  contents  on  the  cloth,  then  said: 
"Gentlemen,  here  is  the  cash  that  moves  the  world; 
with  it  you  are  respectable  in  every  land  and  clime;  its 
possession  makes  reliable  critics  of  knaves  and  fools; 
it  possesses  power  that  no  man  can  stay;  without  it 
even  Kingdoms  crumble  and  decay;  with  it  Rothschild 
is  a  monarch  in  his  peculiar  way.  He  rules,  not  one, 
but  all  the  clans  on  earth;  with  his  golden  sceptre  he 
stands  behind  the  throne  and  dictates  terms  of  peace 
and  war.  He  has  the  power  to  crush,  he  has  the 
power  to  build;  before  this  man  all  nations  bow  and 
act  upon  his  will.  But  still,  it  is  not  the  man  they 
fear,  it  is  the  power  of  gold  and  here  it  is;  plenty  and 
to  spare  and  every  man  who  does  his  part  will  get  a 
splendid  share. 

"Our  cause  is  just.  These  people  here  are  drunk 
upon  the  paper  stuff  they  call  cash,  but  it  is  not,  it  has 
no  worth,  it  is  only  paper  trash.  Their  Government 
has  usurped  the  right  of  ruining  all  the  banks  and 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  375 

robbing  wealthy  men  of  that  which  they  accumulate;  in 
the  name  of  God  it  must  be  said,  they  rob  the  living 
and  the  dead  by  what  they  call  law,  inheritance  and 
fncome  tax;  they  say  it  is  right,  but  we  do  not;  we 
call  it  rot,  and  wrong,  and  robbery  of  that  noble  class 
of  men  who  purchase  land  and  rent  it  to  the  poor  for 
ho^nes;  then  feed  the  worthless  mob  on  soup  when 
panics  come  and  all  are  out  of  work.  Fanatics  here 
are  leading  on  toward  calamities  untold;  no  nation  has 
ever  lived  without  the  help  of  gold. 

"When  over-production  and  inflation  overtake  the 
foolish  crew,  they  will  die  like  rotten  sheep,  beyond 
the  care  of  the  noble  few  who  own  the  gold. 

"Now,"  said  he,  in  a  mild  and  confidential  way,  "it 
is  to  avoid  this  calamity  that  Sherman  has  agreed  to 
interfere  in  behalf  of  the  dear  people  and  you,  brave, 
noble-hearted  men  who  stay  with  us  through  each  and 
every  move  will  get  your  gold;  you  will  also  be  made 
members  of  a  class  of  money  lords  who  know  no  such 
thing  as  fail.  Here  now  is  a  little  gold  my  Lord  has 
asked  that  I  should  give  to  you,  that  you  might  know 
we  mean  just  what  we  say. " 

Then  giving  part  to  each,  the  glasses  were  filled  up 
and  from  the  sparkling  cup  all  drank  long  life  to  the 
bank  that  has  the  gold.  Soon  after  this  a  knock  was 
heard  and  in  a  moment  more  John  Benedict  Sherman 
entered.  "How  now  my  noble  Lord?"  said  John. 

'Quite  well,"  replied  the  money  Lord,  "and  how  art 
thou,  old  friend  and  nearest  to  my  heart  of  all  this 
noble  band?"  "Quite  well,"  said  John.  "And  how 
about  thy  most  important  enterprise?  Hast  thou  the 
Constitution?"  "I  have,  my  Lord,"  said  John,  pulling 
from  his  breast  the  document  which  he  had  stolen  from 
the  room  containing  archives  of  which  he  was  custodian. 

"Bravo,"  said  every  man  as  Mr.  Sherman  handed 
the  coveted  prize  to  the  money  Lord,  who  quickly 
placed  it  in  the  hands  of  the  expert;  this  man  examined 
the  document  for  half  an  hour,  then  asked  if  it  could 
be  left  over  for  half  a  day.  After  considering  the 
matter  for  a  time,  Sherman  consented  to  an  arrange 
ment  of  this  kind.  Mr.  Saunders  then  showed  the 


AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

expert    to    a    room    where    he    could    work    without 
interruption. 

This  done,  the  money  Lord  addressed  his  little  band 
as  follows:  "Mr,  Sherman,  my  brave  men,  has  done 
a  uoble  deed."  "You,"  said  he  turning  to  the  Senator, 
have  taken  the  first  grand  step  toward  placing  gold 
where  it  rightfully  belongs.  There  is  no  nation  on 
earth  but  acknowledges  the  superior  rights  and  privi 
leges  of  that  class  who  own  the  gold.  Its  rights  and 
properties  as  money  have  been  acknowledged  since 
civilization  began  and  must  not  be  interfered  with  now. 
In  behalf  of  the  gold  banking  power  of  the  world, 
allow  me,  in  presence  of  these  gentlemen  to  present  to 
you,  Senator  Sherman,  as  part  compensation  for  the 
noble  service  you  just  rendered,  this  paper  which 
entitles  you  to  stock  in  the  Bank  of  England  to  the 
amount  of  $1,000,000.  You  are  now  a  millionaire; 
it  is  our  wish  that  you  remain  in  this  country  in  the 
interest  ot  the  bank.  While  it  will  be  necessary  for 
you  to  remain  a  citizen  of  the  Republic,  we  shall 
expect  you  to  visit  us  in  England,  now  and  then,  and 
I  am  authorized  to  say  to  you  that  upon  your  first  visit, 
you  will  be  made  Knight  of  the  Garter  and  your 
picture  shall  adorn  our  walls." 

Glasses  and  bottles  were  now  brought  out  and  all 
drank  the  health  ot  Rothschild.  The  Money  Lord  in 
order  to  impress  upon  his  hearers  the  power  there  is  in 
gold,  explained  at  great  length  how  the  English  syndi 
cates  and  bankers  had  controlled  legislation  in  their 
own  favor  in  the  United  States  since  1862.  The 
exception  clause  on  greenbacks,  the  bond  issue  with 
gold  bearing  interest,  banking  act  contraction,  resump 
tion,  demonetization  of  silver  <*iid  many  other  base 
frauds  were  referred  to,  showing  conclusively  that  not 
one  financial  act  had  been  passed  in  all  that  time  that 
was  not  directly  in  the  interest  of  the  money  power. 

" In  a  few  years, "  said  he,  "we  have  reduced  the  com 
mon  horde  of  America  to  their  proper  place  and  classes 
have  been  formed  and  money  rules  the  American 
to-day  more  completely  than  it  does  the  English;  by 
the  national  banking  system  we  actually  get  money 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC-  377 

from  the  Government  for  one  per  cent  and  loan  it  back 
to  the  people,  their  own  money,  on  good  security  at 
8,  9  and  even  10  per  cent."  • 

At  this  all  gave  an  approving  laugh,  except  Baxter, 
who  seemed  a  little  nettled  at  having  the  weakness  of 
his  own  people  exposed;  the  talk  was  soon  interrupted 
for  a  moment  by  Saunders  ordering  drinks.  After 
partaking  freely  a  box  of  cigars  went  round.  Then  the 
money  Lord  continued  addressing  Sherman.  "It  would 
take  too  long  my  dear  Senator  to  explain  all  the  details 
of  how  we  captured  that  country,  but  in  short,  you  will 
find  that  history  records  the  fact  that  while  the  United 
States  has  been  working  the  richest  gold  and  silver 
mines  the  world  has  ever  produced,  has  been  raising 
provisions  to  feed  the  world  and  cotton  to  clothe  them, 
their  indebtedness  to  us  has  constantly  increased. 

"Their  great  gold  production  is  all  safely  stored 
away  in  our  vaults,  the  silver  in  theirs;  and  mark  me 
well,  Senator,  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  we  will 
have  them  demonetize  their  own  silver  and  btsrrow  our 
gold  for  which  we  will  demand  interest  bearing  bonds. 
Of  course  we  have  had  many  good,  true  Americans 
helping  us,  but  they  have  all  been  well  paid  and  have 
become  millionaires;  in  fact,  we  now  have  an  organiza 
tion  of  monied  men  all  over  the  business  world,  and  in 
it  millionaires  from  America  figure  very  conspicuously; 
this  organization  will  eventually  extend  throughout  the 
earth  and  the  gold  power  will  elect  presidents  and  con 
trol  legislation,  make  kings  and  depose  them  when 
they  fail  to  carry  out  the  mandates  of  our  order. 

"As  the  great  wealthy  classes  have  ruled  the  world 
in  past  ages  through  the  power  of  superstition  centered 
in  a  Pope,  we  propose  to  rule  the  world  through  the 
unlimited  power  of  gold;  but  its  central  office  will  be 
in  London,  not  in  Rome.  The  business  of  the  world 
will  soon  be  done  by  joint  stock  companies;  the  money 
or  gold  power  will  own  the  stock  and  through  it 
receive  all  the  profits  of  business  and  individual  effort. 

"The  New  Republic  of  Bundy,  Lincoln,  Jefferson  and 
Summerville  has  already  been  neglected  too  long,  but 
the  war  has  commenced;  the  power  of  concentrated 


378  AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

wealth  will  soon  be  felt;  this  fanatical  system  must  be 
destroyed  and  the  power  of  gold  restored. 

"If  we  can  do  this  by  controlling  legislation,  we  will 
prevent  the  shedding  of  blood  and  reap  eternal  blessings 
from  the  powers  on  high.  I  tell  you,  Senator  Sherman, 
if  our  efforts  should  entirely  fail,  there  will  be  a 
pressure  brought  to  bear  upon  these  people  that  will 
leave  them  rotting  by  the  roadside;  when  the  scourge 
has  been  removed,  classes  will  be  formed;  rhe  toiling 
masses  will  then  be  taught  not  to  get  above  their 
occupation;  that  it  is  a  mistake  for  them  to  abandon 
their  own  sphere  and  infringe  on  the  rights  of  nobility. " 

It  was  now  suggested  that  drinking  time  had  come 
again  and  soon  the  corks  began  to  pop;  this  time  they 
drank  success  to  the  money  Lord. 

This  finished,  the  Lord  took  a  dignified  position  and 
with  the  air  of  one  who  held  supreme  authority,  also 
considered  himself  complete  master  of  the  situation, 
he  inquired  of  Sherman  if  he  knew  any  member  of  the 
lower  House  who  could  be  considered  worthy  to  become 
one  of  their  associates.  After  thinking  a  while  the 
Senator  said  he  "thought  he  could  name  a  man  who, 
by  money,  could  be  induced  to  associate  himself  with 
us;  his  name  is  Benedict  Arnold  and  I  take  him  to  be 
one  of  our  kind." 

"Would  it  be  possible  to  see  him  and  bring  him  here 
this  very  night?"  said  the  Lord. 

After  consulting  his  watch,  Sherman  said:  "Should 
I  find  him  without  delay,  it  would  be  barely  possible." 

"Will  you  do  this  little  favor,"  said  the  Lord;  "then 
bring  him  to  me  at  once;  make  known  that  this  is  a 
matter  of  honor;  our  office  is  one  of  charity.  What 
we  wish  to  do  may  not  be  exactly  right,  but"  we  do  it 
to  avoid  something  in  the  future  that  we  believe  would 
be  still  worse;  be  sure,  my  dear  Senator,  and  impress 
upon  his  mind  the  fact  that  money  will  be  no  object  if 
our  ends  can  be  attained." 

The  Senator  now  took  his  departure;  the  Lord 
politely  escorted  him  to  the  door  and  by  way  of  cau 
tion,  said:  "It  will  perhaps  be  well,  Senator,  to  have 
the  man  commit  himself;  here  is  $100  in  gold,  see  that 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  379 

he  accept  the  same  as  bonus  before  he  comes;  should 
we  fail  to  agree  on  general  terms,  this  will  pay  him 
tor  the  trouble  we  have  given  him.  We  represent  a 
noble  class,  have  an  important  work  to  do,  wish  to  be 
strictly  honorable  in  all  our  methods  and  liberal  with 
our  friends." 

The  Senator  took  the  money,  passed  into  a  dark  alley, 
followed  that  to  one  of  the  back  streets;  after  a  brisk 
walk  he  reached  a  main  thoroughfare  where  he  stepped 
upon  a  street  car  and  in  a  few  moments  was  at  the 
hotel  where  he  found  Mr.  Arnold  quietly  reading  the 
evening  news.  As  the  Senator  approached  Mr.  Arnold 
recognized  him,  arose  and  extended  his  hand;  a  few 
low  words  passed  and  the  two  retired  to  a  private 
room;  after  being  in  deep  conversation  for  some  time, 
they  again  came  forth  and  as  they  did  so,  Sherman 
dropped  some  pieces  of  gold  into  the  hand  of  the 
Congressman  which  he  quietly  slipped  into  his  pocket; 
soon  after  this  the  Lord  and  his  companion  heard  a 
low  knock  at  the  door  and  Saunders  received  the  two 
gentlemen  and  they  were  ushered  into  the  presence  of 
the  money  Lord.  Mr.  Arnold  was  introduced  in  due 
form,  after  which  a  few  common-place  remarks  passed 
between  them,  drinks  were  served  and  for  a  time  all 
went  merry;  at  last  when  things  had  quieted  down  the 
man  of  gold  addressed  Mr.  Arnold  as  follows: 
"You  are  a  member  of  Congress?"  "Yes,  sir." 
"Have  you  considered  the  financial  situation?"  N 
"As  a  special  subject,"  said  the  Congressman,  "lean 
hardly  say  that  I  have.  Our  financial  system  is  so 
simple  that  it  seems  to  require  no  particular  study;  it 
is  a  mere  matter  of  dollars  and  cents  and  we  have  none 
of  those  difficult  problems  arising  from  giving  money 
two  values;  one  a  bullion  value  which  is  constantly 
changing,  the  other  a  money  value  which  should  never 
change. " 

"True,  true,"  said  the  money  Lord,  "there  are  many 
knotty  questions,  but  it  is  through  an  understanding 
of  this  problem  that  we  make  our  money;  we  under 
stand  it  but  the  common  people  don't;  do  you  see?" 


380  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

After  quietly  knocking  the  ashes  from  his  cigar  and 
taking  another  puff,  the  money  Lord  continued: 

"Mr.  Arnold,  has  it  never  occurred  to  you  that  it  is 
humiliating  for  a  great  Republic  like  this  to  be  tying 
themselves  to  the  rag-baby  make-shift  for  money, 
instead  of  using  the  clear  quill?" 

"I  hardly  know  how  to  answer  that  question,"  said 
the  Congressman,  feeling  his  own  insignificance  in  the 
presence  of  this  money  Lord  who  wore  diamonds  and 
had  millions  at  his  back.  He  then  proceeded  in  regu 
lar  school  boy  style,  as  follows:  "I  was  raised  a 
Republican  in  the  United  States  and  was  taught  that 
paper  money  had  no  value  unless  based  on  gold;  when 
I  first  came  here  I  talked  a  great  deal  about  the  evils 
that  would  arise  from  a  paper  currency.  I  called  it 
rag-baby  and  such  other  names  as  the  bankers  gave  it 
where  I  was  raised.  When  I  saw  our  Government 
issuing  money  to  the  great  companies  by  millions, 
enough  to  run  every  conceivable  enterprise  and  give 
work  to  every  one  that  wanted  to  work,  I  said  now  we 
will  have  inflation;  but  the  people  kept  buying  up  the 
stock  and  the  money  kept  going  back  into  the  treasury, 
the  same  as  it  goes  into  the  banks  at  home.  My 
prophecies  of  inflation  all  failed;  times,  too,  have  been 
so  wonderfully  good  and  growing  better  all  the  time, 
it  actually  looks  as  if  the  people  of  this  Government 
had  all  gone  into  partnership  on  the  joint  stock  plan 
and  are  doing  so  much  work  that  they  will  soon,  with 
their  fine  machinery,  be  able  to"  feed  and  clothe  the 
entire  globe.  In  this  reckless  push  of  all  kinds  of 
business,  they  seem  to  have  forgotten  all  about  gold 
and  lost  respect  for  it;  in  fact,  things  have  assumed 
such  a  shape  through  our  extensive  exports  that  gold 
is  worth  absolutely  nothing.  The  agents  of  these 
great  companies  have  had  so  much  trouble  abroad  in 
exchanging  gold  for  interest  bearing  securities  that  I 
supposed  it  was  getting  to  be  a  drug  on  the  markets 
of  the  world. " 

"That  you  see  is  where  the  trouble  comes  from," 
said  the  Lord,  "your  people  are  constantly  taking  out 
gold  and  shipping  it  to  us;  we  cannot  buy  it  for  they 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  3&T 

will  not  take  our  money  and  the  exchange  of  goods  is 
all  in  their  favor.  We  can  hardly  afford  to  give  them 
bonds  for  that  is  our  stock  in  trade,  beside  we  do 
not  need  the  gold.  You  see  a  little  gold  does  us  as 
well  as  more  would,  for  the  fact  is,  we  don't  use  it  as 
money  very  much,  because  paper  is  so  much  handier; 
but  gold  is  made  the  base;  we  keep  it  in  our  vaults; 
that  makes  our  paper  good.  There  is  where  confidence 
comes  in.  We  get  gold  base,  and  confidence,  and 
parity,  and  honest  dollars  all  mixed  up  until  none  but 
a  financier  can  understand  it,  and  that  is  the  way  we 
make  our  money.  We  have  millions  of  money  laying 
idle  in  our  vaults;  all  we  ask  is  for  all  the  Govern 
ments  on  earth  to  make  gold  the  only  legal  tender; 
tfien,  as  we  have  pretty  much  all  the  gold  and  people 
;ompelled  to  have  it  to  pay  debts  with,  we  can  fix  the 
price,  and  the  less  we  have  the  more  we  can  ask  for  it. 
As  long  as  the  United  States  can  get  gold  from  this 
Republic,  they  will  not  come  to  us.  If  your  country 
will  use  their  own  gold  for  money,  their  circulation  is 
so  great  that  they,  too,  like  the  United  States,  would 
soon  have  to  come  to  us  for  money  and  you  who 
assist  in  securing  this  end  will  fare  as  sumptuously  as 
have  the  bankers  of  the  United  States. 

"I  should  think,"  said  Arnold,  that  when  the  people 
of  the  United  States  see  their  property  slipping  away 
from  them,  the  masses  growing  poorer,  the  bankers 
richer,  they  would  change  their  policy." 

"Yes,  you  would  think  so,"  said  the  Lord,  "but  they 
don't;  the  fact  is  they  are  proud  of  their  millionaires 
and  the  poorer  they  get  the  better  we  can  manage  them. 
We  have  banks  in  the  United  States  and  a  bank  in 
England;  when  we  want  to  force  Congress  to  pass  a 
law  in  our  favor,  we  ship  the  gold  to  Britain,  the 
associated  press  sends  out  the  report  for  news;  we  get 
up  a  big  scare,  the  banks  quit  loaning  money,  a  panic 
ensues,  business  firms  collapse,  men  are  thrown  out  of 
employment,  soup  houses  started;  then  through  our 
great  dailies  we  raise  a  cry  for  whatever  law  -we  want 
passed,  as  a  means  to  restore  confidence  and  make 
good  times. 


32  AN   IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

"Shysters  who  expect  favors  from  the  moneyed  men 
or  from  banks,  take  up  the  cry  and  if  any  man  dare  to 
oppose  it,  they  call  him  crank,  calamity-howler  or 
anarchist;  confusion  prevails.  We  tip  the  great  states 
men  and  remind  them  that  it  takes  money  to  run  the 
great  political  machine;  then  they  make  long  speeches, 
full  of  sophistry,  arguing  from  false  stand-points  and 
finding  no  solution,  until  the  people  conclude  that  the 
truth  is  like  the  way  of  the  Lord,  past  finding  out,  and 
they  become  disgusted,  quit  reading  the  papers  and 
turn  their  attention  to  rustling  for  something  to  eat; 
then  mid  the  cry  of  distress,  the  law  is  passed,  banks 
again  loan  money  and  the  starving  get  something  to  do 
at  the  lowest  possible  prices. 

"Time  rolls  on  and  we  have  an  election  and  a  land 
slide,  that  is,  the  voters  slide  out  of  one  party  into 
another.  Then  we  repeat  the  dose  and  make  another 
haul.  A  robber  stops  the  train  and  robs  the  safe  of  a 
few  hundred  dollars,  they  shoot  him  down  on  sight; 
we  get  the  company  in  a  pinch,  take  the  whole  road 
and  they  call  us  great. 

"Since  •  time  immemorial  there  has  been  a  wealthy 
class.  There  has  been  a  poor  class  and  there  always 
will  be.  Some  men  are  born  to  be  rich,  some  are  born 
to  be  poor.  Right  now,  there  is  a  chance  for  you  to 
get  on  the  winnyig  side,  and  what  I  want  is  your 
assistance  in  getting  a  law  through  Congress  to  bring 
about  free  coinage  of  gold;  that  will  be  pretty  good  for 
the  present;  but  we  will  try  to  get  a  law  through  the 
next  Congress  to  withdraw  the  present  money  and 
issue  bonds  in  its  place ;  also  establish  national  banks, 
based  on  bonds.  The  banks  can  loan  national  money 
based  on  the  bonds,  that  will  supply  business  with  the 
means  of  continuing,  and  we,  as  bankers,  will  get 
interest  from  the  Government  on  the  bonds  and 
interest  on  the  money  from  the  people.  This  will  be 
millions  of  dollars  in  our  pockets  each  year,  and  you 
will  soon  see  millionaires  coming  to  the  front  here  as 
rapidly  as  they  did  in  the  United  States  after  we  got 
control  of  their  money." 

"Do  you  suppose, "  said  Arnold,   "that  our  legislators 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  383 

could  be  induced  to  withdraw  from  circulation  all  our 
paper  money,  which  amounts  to  millions  upon  millions 
of  dollars,  and  put  out  bonds,  thereby  actually  create 
a  debt  where  none  exists,  the  interest  of  which  would 
in  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  amount  to  more  than  the 
face  of  the  bonds?  Besides  this,  compel  the  people  to 
borrow  money  to  take  its  place.  The  interest  on  the 
money,  even,  without  the  interest  on  the  bonds,  would 
impoverish  the  people. " 

"Never  mind  the  people,"  said  the  money  Lord,  "we 
must  look  after  our  own  business  and  let  the  people 
look  after  theirs.  I  will  make  it  of  interest  for  you  to 
be  with  us. " 

"But,"  said  the  Congressman,  "it  is  a  bare-faced 
swindle.  Our  people  would  never  stand  it." 

"My  dear  sir,"  said  the  Lord,  "there  is  where  you 
are  mistaken;  you  understand  we  are  not  going  blind; 
we  have  a  precedent.  In  the  United  States  after  the 
civil  war,  there  were  millions  upon  millions  of  dollars 
of  money  in  circulation,  enough  to  satisfy  every 
demand  and  make  business  lively;  the  people  were 
drunk  with  prosperity,  just  as  they  are  here  to  day. 
They  went  to  their  work  joyously  singing,  'Uncle  Sam 
is  rich  enough  to  give  us  all  a  farm,'  and  right  amid 
these  lively  times  we  forced  a  bill  through  Congress 
similar  to  the  one  I  have  just  proposed.  Bonds  with 
gold  interest  were  exchanged  for  national  money  and 
the  money  was  destroyed;  then  through  the  national 
banking  act,  we  deposited  the  bonds  with  the  Govern 
ment  and  they  gave  us  90  per  cent  of  our  money  back 
and  we  loaned  that  to  the  people  to  take  the  place  of 
the  old-fashioned  greenback.  So  you  see  this  plan  is 
no  new  thing.  The  American  people  stood  it  and  your 
people  are  not  one  whit  smarter  than  they  were.  Of 
course  the  same  causes  will  produce  the  same  effect 
here.  As  to  the  part  you  are  to  play  in  this  affair,  in 
making  up  your  mind,  you  should  consider  former 
examples. 

"In  the  United  States,  General  Weaver  fought  the 
scheme  in  Congress  where  he  was  antagonized  by  Mr. 
Garfield,  who  afterward  jumped  from  almost  obscurity 


384  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

to  the  Presidential  chair;  while  General  Weaver,  who 
remained  true  to  the  people,  has  never  received  an 
office  since  and  has  spent  thousands  of  dollars  advo 
cating  the  people's  cause.  If  you  look  the  matter  up, 
my  dear  Mr.  Arnold,  you  will  find  that  those  who  sup 
ported  our  scheme  in  the  United  States  have  all  been 
well  paid;  they  are  millionares  to-day  and  hold  the 
destiny  of  the  nation  in  their  hands." 

The  money  Lord  now,  by  a  peculiar  motion  of  his 
hand,  which  is  only  practiced  and  understood  in  that 
high  order  of  society  to  which  he  belonged,  suggested 
drinks;  toasts  went  round  and  merry-making  became 
general.  When,  after  many  drinks  it  subsided,  the 
money  Lord  continued:  "I  am  fully  authorized,  Mr. 
Arnold,  to  push  the  work  and  the  money  at  my  com 
mand  is  unlimited;  every  man  who  assists  me  in  the 
scheme  will  be  promptly  and  liberally  paid;  in  the  end 
will  become  a  millionaire  and  one  of  us. 

"In  the  United  States  there  are  more  millionaires 
than  in  Great  Britain  and  they  are  to-day  members  of 
our  noble  order  and  are  of  our  making;  for  without 
our  careful  engineering  the  United  States  would  to-day 
be  plodding  along  with  her  greenback  money,  and 
there  would  be  hardly  a  man  in  the  whole  country 
wealthy  enough  to  command  the  respect  of  his  fellows. 
Now  if  you  are  willing  to  assist  us  in  this  matter,  and 
link  your  destiny  with  ours,  braving  every  disappoint 
ment,  I  will  make  you  one  of  us,  and  to  make  my 
word  emphatic,  what  say  you  to  a  cool  $100,000  in  gold?" 

"Gold,"  said  Arnold,  "has  little  value  in  this  country; 
you  see,  my  Lord,"  and  the  Congressman  came  near 
choking,  for  he  had  never  said,  "my  Lprd"  to  a  man 
in  his  life  before;  he  had  been  taught  by  a  kind  and 
loving  mother,  that  Lord  meant  God  and  there  were 
not  many  gods,  but  One;  but  the  smiling  face  of  the 
money  Lord  reassured  him  and  he  went  on:  "Our 
foreign  trade  is  conducted  by  probably  the  greatest 
joint-stock  company  in  the  world,  and  our  exports  so 
far  exceed  our  imports  that  the  gold  in  our  vaults  is 
piling  up  continually  and  to  check  the  accumulation, 
our  Government  has  refused  to  buy  gold,  except  the 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC,  385 

production  of  our  mines.  If  I  am  to  remain  in  this 
country  a  life-time  $100,000  in  gold  would  be  a  good 
deal  like  a  white  elephant,  good  for  a  show,  only;  I 
could  neither  sell  it  nor  use  it  for  money.  If  you  could 
give  me  $100,000  in  our  money,  I  could  invest  it  at 
once  where  it  would  produce  an  income;  there  are 
always  chances  to  become  a  partner  in  some  business 
that  will  pay;  I  would  then  have  something  to  work 
on  with  some  hope  of  success;  but  gold  in  this  coun 
try  is  a  drug." 

"That  is  all  very  true,  but  it  is  impossible,"  said  the 
money  Lord,  "to  get  that  kind  of  money.  Gold  will 
not  buy  it;  but  what  we  want  is  a  law  for  the  free 
coinage  of  gold  and  you  will  see  how  quick  our  gold 
will  show  its  power.  First,  the  law  makes  money  of 
gold,  then  money  makes  law  to  sustain  gold  and 
increase  its  value.  With  your  assistance  I  think  we 
can  pass  a  law  this  very  year  that  will  place  gold 
in  power. " 

"I  doubt  that,"  said  Arnold,  "there  is  Lincoln, 
Bundy  and  Summerville;  these  men  are  high  in 
authority  and  always  on  the  alert.  I  have  locked  horns 
with  them  before  and  they  are  a  power,  beside,  there 
is  the  Constitution  in  the  way." 

The  money  Lord  gave  a  knowing  look  to  Saunders, 
then  said:  "What  care  we  for  the  Constitution;  if  we 
get  gold  made  the  money  of  the  country,  we  will  put 
so  much  of  it  in  the  hands  of  officials  here  that  we  can 
trample  the  Constitution  under  foot;  and  as  for  Lincoln, 
Bundy  and  Summerville;  all  along  the  page  of  history, 
from  time  immemorial,  you  will  see  such  men  have 
always  died  at  the  hands  of  those  they  tried  to  protect. 
The  people  are  ignorant  and  ungrateful;  money  men 
are  wise,  educated  and  pay  their  helpers  well.  What 
we  want  now  is  work;  I  present  you  with  a  check  tor 
$100,000  in  British  gold.  If  we  succeed,  you  will  be 
a  nobleman  of  wealth  and  a  power  in  the  Government. 
Should  we  fail,  you  can  exchange  with  some  man  who 
is  going  trom  here  to  some  of  the  gold-base  countries; 
but  we  belong  to  a  class  that  know  no  such  thing  as  fail. " 

Mr.  Arnold  took  the  proffered  check,  put  it  carefully 


386  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

away  and  drinks  were  once  more  served;  several  glasses 
were  emptied  in  quick  succession.  All  became  quite 
well  enthused  and  with  a  shake  all  around,  agreed  to 
meet  on  the  following  evening  when  unfinished  business 
would  be  taken  up. 

As  the  party  passed  into  the  back  yard,  Sherman 
staid  behind  and  the  Lord  instructed  him  to  post  Mr. 
Arnold,  according  to  his  own  discretion,  on  the  con 
templated  change  of  Constitution,  then  accompany 
him  back  on  the  following  evening. 

Mr.  Arnold  was  not  really  a  bad  man.  Being  a 
lawyer,  he  accepted  the  first  $100  more  as  a  retaining 
fee  than  as  a  bribe.  He  knew  Mr.  Sherman  as  a 
prominent  statesman  and  had  no  reason  to  believe 
him  dishonest.  He  stood  high  as  an  authority  and  had 
the  confidence  of  the  people.  When  he  found  himself 
in  the  presence  of  the  money  Lord,  he  was  over-awed; 
that  gentleman's  superior  manner,  backed  by  unlimited 
capital,  made  our  Congressman's  personality  fade  into 
insignificance.  Persons  of  modest  means  who  have 
been  thrown  into  company  with  millionaires,  will 
recognize  the  disadvantage  under  which  Mr.  Arnold 
was  placed.  Mr.  Sherman  was  in  a  position  far  his 
superior  and  was  undoubtedly  working  for  the  money 
men,  then  why  should  he  refuse?  He  had  always 
considered  himself  a  very  ordinary  man;  the  people 
had  elected  him  to  Congress,  then  called  him  honora 
ble;  he  had  never  believed  himself  better  than  his 
neighbors,  but  in  this  he  must  have  been  mistaken, 
else  these  money  kings  would  not  be  taking  him  into 
their  confidence  and  giving  him  more  wealth  than  he 
could  accumulate  in  a  life  time.  The  money  Lord's 
arguments  were  good.  He  knew  what  had  been  done 
in  the  United  States.  If  he  kept  the  check  and 
the  scheme  failed  he  would  be  a  rich  man.  If  they 
captured  the  new  Republic  as  they  had  the  United 
States,  he  would  become  a  millionaire  and  a  place  in 
the  Senate  would  be  secured  to  him  for  all  time  to 
come.  Thus  Arnold  soliloquized. 

On  the  following  night  the  parties  again  met  at  the 
private  room  of  Saunders  in  accordance  with  their  pre- 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC.  387 

vious  understanding.  The  first  thing .  in  order  was 
drinks;  long  life  to  the  money  power,  was  the  senti 
ment  expressed.  The  expert  then  produced  his  work 
upon  the  Constitution.  All  agreed  the  job  was  com 
plete.  The  Inheritance  clause  had  been  so  changed 
that  it  could  easily  be  evaded.  The  effectiveness  of 
the  Money  clause  had  also  been  destroyed,  and  still 
there  was  not  the  least  evidence  of  the  Instrument 
having  been  tampered  with. 

The  Money  Lord  said  it  was  a  marvelous  work  and 
equal  to  the  demonetization  of  silver  in  the  United 
States  in  1873.  Mr.  Sherman  explained  that  it  was 
not  exactly  what  he  wanted,  but  he  was  willing  to 
accept  it  in  order,  as  he  believed,  to  prevent  something 
worse.  Unless  something  was  done  he  feared  the 
people  would  continue  to  prosper  until  they  became 
so  drunk  on  worthless  money,  big  wages,  fair  prices 
and  plenty  of  work  that  they  would  demand  free  coin 
age  of  silver  and  that  would  be  disastrous.  "Too  much 
money, "  said  he,  "makes  men  reckless  and  extravagant.  " 
He  thought  common  farmers  and  toilers  expected  to 
live  as  well  as  the  wealthy  classes  and  he  feared  to 
contemplate  the  end  of  a  system  that  encouraged  such 
extravagance.  Drinks  were  now  called.  All  drank 
success  to  the  new  enterprise,  and  while  Saunders  was 
on  one  of  his  political  flights,  in  which  he  extolled 
plutocracy,  a  heavy  jar  or  blow  burst  in  the  outside 
door  and  footsteps  were  heard  along  the  narrow 
approach  to  this  room.  All  noise  was  hushed;  tramp, 
tramp,  tramp  came  the  unwelcome  sounds. 

"What  means  all  this?"  said  Saunders.  "I  see,  we 
are  betrayed.  Baxter,  give  me  the  key,  I'll  meet  them 
in  the  hall,  and  e'er  they  burst  another  door,  I'll 
bathe  this  blade  in  human  gore." 

"Brave  Saunders,"  said  the  money  Lord,  "hold, 
hold,  thou  art  too  bold.  We'll  let  the  knaves  come  in, 
then  buy  them  with  a  little  gold  and  make  them  part 
of  us.  They,  possibly,  are  the  kind  of  stuff  that  we 
most  need." 

Then  Saunders  turned  and  said:  "My  Lord,  these 
men  are  knaves,  but  I  feel  sure  they  never  will  sell. 


388  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

I'd  rather  put  my  trust  in  hell,  than  in  these  men." 
Then,  turning  to  the  little  band,  said:  "Who  is  the 
traitor  that  would  give  us  up  to  death?" 

"Look,"  said  Pixley,  "see  in  me  one  of  the  common 
horde,  a  spy,  detective,  police;  all  that  you  men 
most  despise. " 

"Thou  art  the  traitor,  then,"  said  Saunders,  "and 
die  thou  shalt, "  and  brandishing  his  blade  he  made  a 
move,  but  Pixley,  brave  as  he,  with  gun  in  hand, 
said,  "stand!"  At  this,  from  heavy  blows,  the  door  gave 
way  and  a  dozen  men,  or  more,  all  in  uniform, 
marched  in. 

"In  the  name  of  the  Republic,  I  command  you  to 
surrender,"  said  the  Chief. 

"Ha  ha  ha,"  said  the  money  Lord,  "have  seats,  gen 
tlemen,  and  let  us  talk  the  matter  up. " 

"Not  so,  "said  the  Chief,  "we  came  here  not  to  talk. " 

"One  moment  with  thee,  then, "  said  the  money  Lord, 
and  the  two  with  Saunders  stepped  into  a  side  room. 
"Be  seated,"  said  the  Lord. 

"No,  no,  you  must  be  brief,"  said  the  honest  Chief, 
"I  cannot  dally  here  for  idle  words." 

Then  said  the  Lord:  "Now  is  you  time  to  make  a 
raise  and  secure  a  place  in  society  seldom  reached  by 
ordinary  men.  We  have  a  scheme  in  view  for  legisla 
tion  here.  We  want  your  help.  I  mean  just  what  I 
say.  I  represent  the  banking  business  of  the  world. 
There  is  no  limit  to  my  cash.  Say  now  that  you  will 
work  for  us  and  a  million  dollars  in  gold  in  England's 
bank  is  yours." 

The  Chief  in  anger,  said:  "Dost  thou  take  me  fora 
knave,  to  offer  me  a  bribe?" 

"Not  so,  not  so,"  said  the  Lord,  it  is  only  like  the 
finding  of  a  mine  to  you  acid  such  a  chance  will  not 
come  to  you  every  day. " 

The  Chief,  in  an  irritated  air,  said:  "What  care  I 
for  your  gold?  It  is  trash  and  does  not  weigh  when 
honor  is  in  the  scale. " 

"Honor,"  said  the  Lord,  "is  measured  up  by  gold; 
with  it  man  is  honorable  everywhere;  without  it  he  is 
never  heard.  The  world  at  large  honors  the  man  of 


»       AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  389 

gold;  the  man  without  it  has  nothing  and  knows 
nothing;  he  dares  not  say  his  soul  is  his  own,  and  now 
I  bid  thee  take  this  check  and  we  will  make  thee  one  us. " 

"Sir,"  said  the  Chief,  in  earnest  tones,  "my  duty  is 
first  to  my  country  and  to  God.  This  talk  is  all  to  no 
effect.  Were  you  to  give  me  all  the  gold  on  earth  it 
would  not  cure  a  solitary  pain  nor  would  it  buy  one 
pure,  angelic  thought.  Had  gold  been  clothed  with 
the  same  power  in  the  new  Republic  that  it  is  in  other 
countries,  few  men,  perhaps,  would  have  refused  a 
bribe  like  this,  but  gold  being  debased,  Justice  reigned 
and  in  its  course  the  people's  cause  sustained." 

After  this  positive  refusal,  the  Chief  stepped  to  the 
door  and  said;  "Come  on,"  and  passing  to  the  other 
room  the  men  could  only  follow.  When  all  had 
returned,  he  said:  "Gentlemen,  my  duty  is  impera 
tive  and  in  consequence  of  the  enormity  of  the  crime 
of  which  you  are  charged,  I  shall  be  compelled  to  put 
all  in  irons. " 

"I  protest,"  said  Saunders,  "against  this  toul  act. 
We  are  all  honorable  men  of  fortune.  Fix  your  bonds, 
sir,  and  we  can  give  you  all  you  dare  to  ask." 

"Bonds,15  said  the  Chief,  "do  you  not  know  that  in 
this  land,  liberty  cannot  be  bought  with  gold?  We 
take  no  bonds;  the  rich  and  poor  are  responsible  alike 
for  their  crimes. " 

"Then  I  protest,"  said  Sherman,  "against  the 
usurpation  and  ungentlemanly  procedure.  I  am  a 
Senator  of  this  Republic  and  there  is  no  precedence 
for  such  arbitrary  and  inhuman  conduct  toward  a  gen 
tleman  of  official  standing.  I  will  give  you  my  honor, 
sir,  to  report  at  court  to-morrow  and  will  be  responsi 
ble  for  all  of  my  associates,  but  I  deny  your  authority 
to  arrest  either  me  or  my  associates. :| 

"I,  sir,"  said  the  Lord,  "am  an  English  citizen  and 
will  claim  the  protection  of  the  British  flag." 

"Put  these  men  in  irons,"  said  the  Chief,  and  his 
orders  were  quickly  carried  out. 

This  being  done,  the  room  was  searched  for  papers 
and  the  Constitution  found  among  some  books  where 
it  had  been  laid  during  the  hilarity  of  the  evening. 


3QO  AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

All  were  then  taken  to  jail.  As  court  was  in  session, 
they  were  tried  in  a  very  few  days,  found  guilty,  and 
the  Judge,  in  sentencing  them  to  be  hung  for  con 
spiracy  and  treason,  calling  their  attention  to  the 
enormity  of  the  crime,  said:  "There  was  but  little 
doubt  that  the  main  body  of  conspirators  were  in  the 
United  States  and  England.  If  he  had  them  all,  he 
could  hang  a  traitor  to  human  liberty  on  every  tele 
graph  pole  from  one  side  of  the  continent  to  the  other." 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

WE  will  now  return  to  the  quiet  farm  of  Mr.  Gardner. 
It  was  situated  not  many  miles  from  the  city  of 
South  Bend;  the  ladies  had  several  times  been  driven 
to  the  city  and  had  been  interested  in  seeing  its  large 
factories  and  smaller  concerns,  running  in  full  blast. 
The  retail  stores  were  first  class  and  well  supplied  with 
goods,  and  were  the  only  establishments  run  by  private 
enterprise,  in  the  same  way  as  they  are  run  in  the 
United  States,  except  that  there  is  rio  such  thing  as 
having  credit;  there  was  no  necessity  for  that. 

"Persons  who  are  well  can  always  find  work,"  Mr. 
Gardner  explained  to  them,  "and  if  one  person  meets 
with  misfortune,  assistance  is  furnished  by  neighbors, 
all  being  well  off.  Before  the  national  banking  system 
and  gold-gamblers  had  sway  in  the  United  States,  the 
same  condition  existed  there,  but  now  there  seems  to 
be  a  reign  of  selfishness  and  terror. 

"A  gentleman  came  here  five  years  ago  from  Indiana, 
by  the  name  of  Grimes,  aad  started  a  carriage  and 
wagon  shop  on  a  small  scale;  being  a  good  mechanic 
his  neighbors  induced  him  to  organize  a  joint-stock 
company  with  a  capital  stock  of  $300,000  to  carry  on 
the  manufacture  of  carriages  and  wagons.  After 
organizing  in  due  form,  we  sent  our  papers  on,  the 
plan  was  approved,  a  charter  granted  and  the  stock  and 
money  sent  to  our  sub  treasury;  officers  were  appointed 
and  Mr.  Grimes  made  superintendent.  It  is  a  much 
simpler  method  than  selling  the  bonds  to  foreign 
syndicates. 

"On  receipt  of  the  money  business  commenced  and 
the  factory  has  ever  since  furnished  constant  employ 
ment  for  many  men,  made  a  market  for  timber,  also 
for  such  other  articles  as  are  consumed  by  the  work- 


3Q2  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

men  and  their  families.  Two-thirds  of  the  stock  is 
now  owned  by  those  who  work  for  the  company;  the 
remainder  is  scattered  among  the  people,  and  the 
factory,  with  an  abundance  of  capital,  is  shipping  its 
vehicles  to  all  parts  of  the  country.  In  the  Republic 
we  have  several  such  establishments,  but  their  profits 
being  limited,  they  do  not  come  in  competition. 

"These  other  large  manufacturing  establishments 
were  started  on  the  same  plan;  the  stock  is  now  owned 
by  our  citizens,  not  one  dollar  of  it  having  gone  out 
of  our  own  county,  while  the  money  that  started  the 
institutions  has  all  gone  back  into  the  treasury  from 
whence  it  came.  From  this  you  can  see  the  beauties 
of  our  system;  there  is  nothing  useful  to  man,  outside 
of  natural  productions  of  the  earth  in  a  wild  state,  but 
is  the  product  of  brain  and  muscle;  the  people  have 
that,  but  it  is  worthless  without  means;  money  is  the 
means  by  which  men  are  set  to  work;  their  work  soon 
earns  money  which,  finding  no  better  investment,  goes 
back  to  the  Government  in  exchange  for  stock.  You 
see  the  result;  we  have  no  place,  nor  use  for  foreign 
capital,  while  we  hold  that  it  is  the  duty  of  Govern 
ment  to  keep  the  land  for  the  use  of  the  people,  we 
also  hold  it  to  be  the  duty  of  Government  to  keep  all 
commercial  stock  for  the  purpose  of  securing,  so  far  as 
possible,  a  safe  investment  for  the  savings  of  the 
people  and  to  prevent  its  being  monopolized.  Our 
inheritance  law  has  served  a  very  good  purpose." 

"I  am  told,"  said  Mrs.  Goldburg,  "you  have  many 
great  ships;  how  do  you  manage  to  build  them?" 

"In  exactly  the  same  way,  only  the  stock  is  portioned 
out  to  the  different  sub-treasuries,  according  to  popu 
lation;  this  is  done  with  a  view  to  giving  all  our  people 
an  opportunity  to  invest  their  savings." 

During  their  stay  an  election  was  to  take  place; 
the  ladies,  knowing  that  universal  suffrage  was  the  rule 
and  that  no  proposition  could  become  law  until  voted 
on  by  the  people,  thus  making  themselves  their  own 
legislators,  had  a  desire  to  learn  something  of  their 
peculiar  methods;  therefore  when  an  opportunity  pre 
sented  itself,  Mrs.  Goldburg  said  to  Mr.  Gardner: 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  393 

"I  would  like  to  know  something  concerning  your 
elections.  It  occurs  to  me  from  what  I  have  heard, 
that  a  polling  place  is  about  the  last  place  that  a 
modest  woman  would  like* to  be  seen  in." 

"Modesty,"  said  he  "should  prevent  no  one  from 
going  where  duty  calls.  We  are  taught  that  there 
exists  in  man's  nature,  two  controlling  elements,  one 
for  good  and  the  other  for  evil.  The  one  is  con 
stantly  leading  upward  toward  God,  the  other  farther 
away  from  truth,  justice  and  light.  It  is  claimed  that 
where  the  elements  for  good  predominate  in  an 
assembly,  woman's  safety  and  protection  are  secured 
and  her  presence  is  always  desirable;  if  the  proper 
place  for  woman  is  not  at  the  polls,  it  is  the  best 
evidence  in  the  world  that  the  people  have  surrendered 
their  right  to  self-government  and  allowed  bad  influences 
to  come  in  and  dominate  elections. 

"Show  me  the  place  where  the  presence  of  a  man's 
wife,  mother  and  sister  is  not  admissible  and  I  will 
show  you  a  splendid  place  for  him  to  avoid.  While 
our  elections  are  so  pure  that  our  women  and  children 
can  be  present,  we  have  no  fear  of  the  vote  being 
influenced  by  bankers  or  any  other  conspiracy  against 
the  best  interests  of  the  people,  through  the  use  of 
money,  whiskey  or  dishonest  methods. " 

After  a  moment's  pause,  he  continued:  "To-morrow 
we  are  to  have  an  election  and  if  you  will,  we  would 
be  glad  to  have  you  all  go  and  see  for  yourselves  how 
our  elections  are  conducted." 

Two  miles  from  the  farm  was  a  prominent  cross 
road  and  a  central  point  in  the  neighborhood.  Govern 
ment  had  reserved  two  acres  of  land  on  each  corner  for 
public  uses;  on  one  corner  a  magnificent  church  had 
been  erected,  the  combined  effort  of  the  entire  religious 
element.  It  was  owned  in  common  by  a  society 
organized  for  the  purpose,  whose  charter  stipulated  at 
what  time  each  denomination  should  have  its  use. 

On  the  same  lot  was  a  small  building  designed  for 
small  gatherings,  such  as  primaries,  literary  or  other 
societies.  In  this  building  the  election  was  held.  On 
the  other  corners  stood  a  public  school  building,  a 


394  AN    IDEAl,    REPUBLIC. 

residence  near  by  for  the  use  of  teachers,  and  opposite 
a  repair  shop  and  a  store. 

On  the  day  of  election  the  ladies  went  to  the  place 
for  voting,  in  Mr.  Gardner's  carriage;  they  found 
many  other  ladies  already  there,  and  having  been 
introduced  to  several  prominent  people,  they  took  seats 
and  became  interested  spectators  of  the  scenes  about 
them.  Everything  was  quiet  and  orderly;  a  majority 
had  brought  their  ballots  from  home  already  prepared, 
and  these  were  standing  about  in  groups  engaged  in 
pleasant  conversation,  in  so  lov;  a  tone  as  not  to  dis 
turb  others;  in  the  back  of  the  room  stood  a  table  and 
around  it  were  sitting  the  board  of  electors  consisting 
of  five  persons,  three  of  whom  were  ladies. 

Public  sentiment  here  being  opposed  to  the  use  of 
even  the  mildest  form  of  whiskey  at  the  polls,  it  was 
not  tolerated;  consequently  there  was  an  absence  of 
bottles.  Mr.  Gardner  remarked,  "that  they  would  as 
soon  think  of  allowing  a  lunatic  to  vote,  as  a  drunken 
man.  Money-sharks  were  conspicuously  absent;  men 
here  receive  office  more  as  a  matter  of  honor  than  for 
profit,  the  salaries  being  gagued  by  the  general  price 
paid  for  the  same  kind  of  work  outside  thus  no  one 
could  afford  to  pay  for  position  except  by  good  works. " 

That  evening,  Rebecca  received  through  the  mail,  a 
letter  from  a  member  of  an  Ethical  society  in  Kiyongo, 
asking  her  to  deliver  a  course  of  lectures  before  their 
society.  She  returned  an  answer  to  the  effect  that  she 
would  do  so  and  allowed  them  to  make  their  own 
appointment  as  to  the  time. 

During  Rebecca's  visit  at  this  delightful  home,  she 
had  informed  herself  through  the  papers  of  the  trial  of 
the  conspirators  and  of  the  dreadful  sentence.  She  was, 
under  all  circumstances,  opposed  to  capital  punish 
ment  and  determined,  if  her  lecture  was  a  success,  to 
risk  everything  in  the  effort  to  secure  the  release  of  the 
me'n.  She  had  learned  something  of  President  Bundy's 
character  but  nothing  of  his  previous  history  and  dared 
not  hope  that  the  honest,  innocent,  simple-minded 
youth  who  had  occupied  so  prominent  a  place  in  her 
thoughts  and  affections,  and  had  gone  to  California 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  395 

while  yet  a  boy,  was  now  the  President  of  a  great 
Republic.  She  dared  not  mention  to  her  mother  or 
Minnie,  the  possibility  of  such  a  thing,  nor  was  she 
willing  to  allow  herself  the  comfort  of  such  a  hope; 
still  the  name  was  constantly  presenting  itself  and  she 
found  herself  often  thinking  of  her  early  love. 

The  society  at  Kiyongo  had  given  out  the  appointment 
and  in  order  to  meet  it,  it  was  necessary  for  the  ladies  to 
take  the  morning  train,  which  they  did  after  saying  good 
bye  to  this  kind  family.  On  arriving  in  the  city,  they 
were  met  by  members  of  the  society  and  escorted  in  a 
carriage  to  the  hotel  where  the  committee  arranged  to 
meet  them  later  and  withdrew. 

That  evening  President  Bundy  was  looking  over  his 
evening  paper,  when  General  Summerville,  who  had 
just  returned  from  a  trip  to  the  coast,  came.  While 
conversing,  a  hand-bill  announcing  the  lecture  was 
thrown  in;  the  name,  Rebecca  Goldburg,  at  once 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  President.  For  a  time 
he  was  completely  lost,  in  thought  and  so  oblivious  to 
his  surroundings  that  it  required  persistent  entreaty 
on  the  part  of  his  companion  to  elicit  this  explanation: 
"I  once  knew  a  girl  by  the  same  name;  I  learned  that 
she  was  married  to  a  millionaire  in  Boston;  but  this 
announcement  leads  me  to  think  I  may  have  been 
misinformed." 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  the  General,  "I  remember  seeing 
that  name  written  on  waste  paper  on  your  desk,  about 
a  thousand  times.  I  am  not  surprised  at  your  being 
interested. " 

"What  do  you  say  to  our  going,"  said  the  President 
and  the  two  friends  soon  found  themselves  occupying  a 
box  in  the  great  hall. 

"The  seats  filled  up  rapidly  and  the  President  asked: 
"Do  you  know  where  the  lady  is  from?" 

"I  do  not,"  said  the  other,  "she  delivered  a  lecture 
at  Summerville  not  long  ago  and  I  was  told  by  a  friend 
of  mine  that  she  made  a  decided  hit;  he  called  her  a 
regular  star." 

They  had  not  long  to  wait;  the  seats  were  nearly 
full  and  the  band  had  just  ceased  playing  an  American 


396  AH   IDEAL   REPUBLIC, 

national  air,  in  honor  of  the  fair  lecturess,  when 
Rebecca  stepped  upon  the  stage,  was  duly  introduced 
and  greeted  with  a  round  of  applause. 

To  Frank,  for  it  was  Frank  Bundy,  now,  pure  and 
simple,  it  was  like  an  apparition.  There  before  him, 
stood  the  fair  form  of  his  early  love;  was  it  all  a 
dream?  No,  it  was  too  real. 

He  sat  as  one  entranced,  and  when  her  clear,  calm 
voice,  unfaltering  in  its  accent,  penetrated  the  atmos 
phere  of  that  great  hall  and  touched  the  hearts  of  all, 
its  effect  was  like  the  balm  of  love  or  zephyrs  laden 
with  rich  perfume. 

All  seemed  deeply  interested,  and  every  word  was 
distinctly  heard  in  that  vast  auditorium. 

The  lecture  was  a  brilliant  satire  on  man's  incon 
sistencies,  but  had,  from  beginning  to  end,  an  under 
lying  principle  of  love  and  wisdom  that  carried  men's 
souls  upward  and  onward. 

Frank  sat  leaning  forward,  catching  every  accent, 
his  whole  soul  filled  with  his  boyish  love,  and  to  him, 
Rebecca's  voice  was  to  his  love-thirsty  soul,  like  nec 
tar  to  the  lips  of  the  tarnished  traveller. 

The  subject  of  the  lecture  was  "Progress,"  and  as  it 
has  been  the  design  of  this  work  to  show,  in  as  simple 
a  manner  as  possible,  the  false  teaching  of  gold-gam 
blers,  no  effort  will  be  made  to  reproduce  Rebecca's 
words,  except  so  far  as  they  were  related  to  evils 
resulting  from  the  superstitious  use  of  gold  as  money. 

Going  back  into  remote  periods,  she  pictured  man 
in  his  barbaric  state;  first,  in  families  wandering 
through  the  forests  and  along  the  streams,  sleeping  in 
caves  and  cozy  nooks  in  nature's  wilds;  they  lived 
upon  fruits,  leaves,  grasses,  barks,  herbs  and  insects. 
When  they  were  scarce,  they  hunted  game  and  lived  upon 
meat;  as  time  rolled  on,  in  favored  regions,  mankind 
became  more  numerous.  It  was  then  decreed  in  nature 
that  man  should  go  forth  and  subdue  the  earth;  by  the 
natural  course  of  evolution,  from  necessity  and  inborn 
desire  to  progress,  he  began  to  cultivate  the  soil  and 
soon  found  himself,  as  farmers  and  toilers  always  do, 
(if  not  robbed)  with  plenty  and  to  spare. 


AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC,  397 

Then,  guided  by  brutal  instinct  and  void  of  reason, 
others  came  in  larger  numbers  and  robbed  them  of  their 
crops;  this  forced  those  who  toiled  into  small  commu 
nities  for  protection;  there  progress  continued  and 
animals  were  domesticated.  Those  who  lived  on  high 
and  barren  lands  raised  goats,  while  those  who  occu 
pied  the  fertile  bottom  lands,  raised  corn. 

Those  on  the  high  lands,  as  stockmen  always  do, 
found  that  nature  had  supplied  them  with  more  than 
they  could  use;  when  a  man  in  the  valley  had  a  sur 
plus  of  corn,  he  was  often  willing  to  take  a  goat  in 
exchange  for  a  bushel.  At  la^t  it  came  to  pass  that 
the  herdsmen  wanted  ten  bushels  of  corn;  but  the 
farmer  said,  "I  have  no  place  to  keep  the  goats." 
Then  the  herdsman  proposed  to  give  ten  pieces  of 
leather  of  a  peculiar  kind,  made  only  by  himself  and 
said  to  the  farmer:  "This  is  my  money,  each  piece 
represents  a  goat;  I  will  give  them  to  you  tor  corn." 
The  farmer  took  the  money;  the  next  day  a  man  came 
to  work  for  the  farmer  and  was  to  have  one  bushel  of 
corn  for  each  day's  work.  The  farmer  wanted  twenty 
days'  work,  but  the  man  wanted  only  ten  bushels  ot 
corn.  Then  said  the  farmer:  "What  do  you  want?" 
"I  want  goats  "  "All  right, "'said  the  farmer,  "I  will 
give  you  ten  pieces  of  money  and  you  can  buy  goats. 
The  man  did  the  work  and  took  the  money  and  it  so 
happened  that  he  wanted  pottery  from  another  neigh 
bor,  but  the  man  said,  "I  do  not  want  your  work,  I 
want  corn  and  goats."  "All  right,"  said  the  man,  "I 
will  give  you  money  and  you  can  buy  corn  and  goats, " 
He  then  took  the  pottery  and  gave  him  six  pieces  of 
money  and  kept  four  for  his  own  use.  • 

"This,"  said  the  fair  lecturer,  "was  money  in  every 
sense  of  the  word;  it  did  everything  that  money  .can 
do  for  man's  benefit,  assisted  in  the  exchange  of 
product  and  labor.  An  ax  has  its  use  and  its  benefits 
to  mankind  are  incalculable,  and  yet  men  have  been 
known  to  kill  others  with  an  ax;  so  it  is  with  money, 
it  has  been  used  to  rob  and  oppress  mankind  since 
earliest  history  and  will  continue  to  do  so  until  the 
people  learn  the  difference  between  money  for  the 


AN   IDEAL   REPUBLIC. 

benefit  of  mankind  and  money  for  the  benefit  of  a  few 
and  oppression  of  the  many." 

As  time  rolled  on  the  robbers  of  the  forest,  being 
no  longer  able  to  seize  upon  their  crops  by  main  force, 
brought  in  nuts,  dried-fruits,  skins  and  other  things  to 
barter  off  for  corn;  thus  trade  began;  the  robber 
chief  kept  trading  until  his  place  was  called  a  store. 
As  men  multiplied,  crops  increased;  other  stores  were 
started  and  a  Government  formed  under  a  King.  This 
King  had  a  council  of  wise  men,  similar  to  the  House 
of  Lords,  or  the  United  States  Senate,  and  these  wise 
men  formed  the  laws  and  made  money  of  leather. 
The  country  prospered,  the  King  had  castles  built, 
roads  made,  the  country  improved;  had  a  great  many 
men  employed  and  there  A^as  plenty  of  money  in  circu 
lation,  and  everything  was  life. 

Then  gold  was  found  by  the  robber  bands  in  the 
mountains  and  was  brought  to  the  stores,  but  no  one 
wanted  it;  at  last,  when  all  the  gold  had  been  gathered 
that  could  be  found,  each  store  had  some.  .It  had  cost 
them  nothing  but  the  finding;  they  wanted  to  trade  it 
for  corn  and  for  work,  but  the  people  did  not  want  it. 
They  then  called  a  meeting  of  the  other  robber  chiefs 
and  assumed  the  name  of  bankers.  This  was  the  work 
of  a  conspiracy  against  the  people.  They  had  a  few 
bright  coins  made  of  gold;  those  coins  weighed  one 
ounce  each  and  were  marked  twenty  dollars.  To  each 
of  the  wise  statesmen  they  gave  five  of  these  coins, 
then  said  to  them:  "Ye  are  great;  ye  are  the  King's 
council;  make  us  money  of  this,  we  pray,  and  demone 
tize  all  other  money."  Then  these  robber  chiefs,  mer 
chants  or  bankers  set  up  a  cry  for  honest  money;  they 
said  unto  the  wise  men  or  King's  council:  "See,  you 
all  have  coins;  they  are  worthless  now,  but  make  them 
lawful  money  and  you  can  buy  corn  with  them  to  last 
a  year."  "These  bankers  argue  well,"  said  one,  and 
made  haste  to  pass  a  few  coinage  bills  and  demonetize 
all  other  money;  then  the  bankers  went  to  the  Govern 
ment  and  had  their  gold  coined  into  money  free.  The 
people  must  have  money  to  pay  debts  and  do  business 
with.  The  bankers*  then  said:  "As  we  have  all  the 


AN    IDEAL   REPUBLIC.  399 

gold,  our  note  is  good;  the  people,  to  have  prosperity, 
must  have  confidence;"  so  they  issued  money-notes  and 
bought  up  all  the  large  holdings  of  corn.  After  a  few 
months,  when  corn  became  scarce,  they  said  to  the 
laborer:  "Give  me  my  price  or  starve;"  and  the 
laborers  were  forced  to  work  all  the  time  for  what 
they  could  eat.  The  men  who  owned  the  gold,  had 
great  ware-houses  full  of  corn;  the  people  were  many 
of  them  starving.  As  was  natural,  the  farmers  asked 
"how  it  was  that  they  had  produced  all  the  corn  and 
still  must  go  hungry,  while  those  who  had  raised 
nothing  had  more  than  they  could  use. "  To  settle  the 
vexed  question  an  extra  session  of  the  wise  men  was 
called  and  after  debating  the  question  for  several 
weeks,  decided  it  was  all  on  account  of  over-production 
and  inflation  and  extravagance  on  the  part  of  the 
people.  It  was  ordained  that  the  farmer  might  have 
the  privilege  of  borrowing  honest  money  from  these 
bankers  at  a  reasonable  interest  and  give  a  mortgage 
on  their  homes;  the  reasonable  interest,  however,  was 
to  be  whatever  the  gold-men  chose  to  ask. 

The  vexed  question  was  settled  for  that  time.  "From 
that  day  to  this,"  said  the  fair  Lecturer,  "the  same 
question  has  been  settled  in  the  same  way,  every  few 
years.  All  the  time  the  people  grew  poorer  and  the 
robbers  grew  fatter;  the  King  and  his  council  became 
willing  tools  to  the  money  power;  at  last  the  people 
rose  in  arms,  cut  off  the  heads  of  the  King  and  his 
wise  men;  the  bankers  gather  up  their  gold  and  fly  to 
some  other  country;  the  people  war  with  one  another 
in  their  starving  condition  and  thousands  are  slain." 

Thus  progress  is  overcome. 

Since  those  days,  time  after  time,  civilization  has 
been  hurled  back  into  a  state  of  semi-barbarism  by  this 
same  power  of  gold  in  the  hands  of  greed;  but  the 
principle  of  love  and  of  honor  has  been  found  under 
lying  these  disasters,  and  upon  these  our  progress  has 
been  based.  At  each  successive  rise,  our  civilization 
reaches  a  higher  plane.  In  this,  our  present,  the 
mortal  mind  seems  to  have  tapped  a  boundless  ocean 
of  thought,  and  men  and  women  are  to-day,  thinking 


400  AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC. 

as  they  never  thought  before.  Greeds  are  being 
shaken  with  internal  strife;  the  pulpit  is  sometimes 
invaded  with  original  and  independent  thought,  and 
our  intellectual  giants  have  turned  the  search-light  of 
reason  on  an  endless,  burning  hell  and  proved  it  to  be 
a  myth.  Kingdoms  are  crumbling  and  the  labor 
problem  is  coming  to  the  front;  the  invention  of  labor- 
saving  machinery  has  been  the  giant  ot  our  modern 
times.  By  these  great  machines  which  are  bought 
up  by  money  Lords,  thousands  of  men  have  been  dis 
placed.  The  machinery  is  doing  the  work  the  men 
were  wont  to  do;  by  the  present  reign  of  things,  these 
men  have  lost  their  usefulness,  and  from  the  stand 
point  of  a  demagogue  might  well  be  called  an  over 
production.  But  honest,  intelligent  men  will  look  for 
facts  and  find  that  while  commerce,  manufacture,  and 
industry  have  undergone  an  entire  change  through  the 
use  of  these  wonderful  inventions,  the  science  of  Gov 
ernment,  dominated  by  the  gold  power,  has  not  advanced 
an  iota;  therefore  the  whole  system  is  out  of  balance, 
and  in  order  to  bring  about  an  equilibrium  in  our 
social  affairs,  it  is  now  time  to  call  a  halt.  Let  the 
gold  power  be  overthrown  and  the  same  great  mass  of 
intellect  that  has  invented  so  much  machinery,  turn 
their  attention  to  the  science  of  Government,  and  when 
that  science  shall  have  reached  the  same  degree  of 
perfection  that  other  things  have  attained,  man  will 
surely  have  reached  a  higher  plane  of  civilization. 

"It  would  seem  from  what  I  have  seen  in  the  last 
month,"  said  the  lecturer,  "that  here  in  this  great 
Republic,  wonders  have  been  already  accomplished  in 
that  direction.  "  From  the  great  structure  of  your 
Government  the  light  of  reason,  truth  and  justice  seems 
to  radiate  like  the  glow  of  a  brilliant  sun. 

"In  your  system  you  seem  to  know  no  such  thing  as 
over-production,  but  over-accumulation  is  nicely  cared 
for  by  being  inherited  by  the  Government  and  gradu 
ally  finding  its  way  back  among  the  people  who 
produced  it.  The  adoption  of  this  law  may  be 
regarded  as  the  grandest  step  in  the  reform  of  Govern 
ment  ever  taken  since  time  began,  and  from  it  will 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  40! 

spring  all  the  rules  and  regulations  necessary  for 
man's  comfort  and  happiness. 

"As  sensible  laws  have  been  adopted  by  your  people 
want,  extravagance  arid  crime  have  in  a  great  measure 
disappeared.  That  crime  will  eventually,  entirely  dis 
appear,  is  hardly  an  unreasonable  hope;  as  it  disap 
pears  progress  will  crown  your  efforts  with  her  smiles; 
love  be  enthroned  in  every  family;  harmony  exist  and 
who  shall  say  that  some  day  our  people  will  not  be 
brought  in  juxtaposition  with  friends  in  immortal 
spheres.  As  intellectual  development  has  already  pro 
duced  an  instrument  with  which  the  very  heavens  have 
been  pierced  and  planetary  systems,  with  their  orbits, 
mapped,  who  will  say  that  a  farther  intellectual  develop 
ment  will  not  produce  an  instrument  that  will  invade  the 
realm  of  our  future  hope,  and  there  disclose  our  loved 
ones  gone  before,  carefully  preparing  a  place  for  our 
reception  and  enjoyment  in  that  house  of  many  man 
sions.  Then  will  death  surely  have  lost  its  sting  and 
the  grave  been  swallowed  up  in  victory;  but  shall 
progress  cease?  Not  while  mortal  or  immortal  man 
exists.  Not  while  one  star  of  this  great  universe  con 
tinues  to  shed  its  lustre  upon  its  fellow,  will  progress 
cease.  Never  falter,  never  fear,  onward,  upward; 
remove  by  thy  harmonious,  intellectual  power  the  veil 
that  separates  us  from  the  great  angelic  hosts  and  there 
behold  our  loved  ones,  fathers,  mothers,  sisters,  brothers; 
all  in  harmony,  plucking  the  sweets  of  everlasting  joy 
and  love,  and  weaving  wreaths  by  which  we  may  be 
crowned  according  to  the  good  they  find  in  us. 

"Progress  cease?  Not  while  eternal,  everlasting  and 
unbounded  space  remains.  Onward,  upward,  through 
countless  ages,  learning,  improving,  developing,  unfold 
ing,  step  by  step,  slowly  but  surely,  ever  onward; 
through  realms  of  boundless  light  till  we  creative 
powers  attain;  then  onward  to  the  borders  of  our  uni 
verse  and  add  to  nature's  store  another  world,  another 
sun,  another  planetary  system.  Then  shall  progress 
cease?  Not  while  eternity  remains." 

In  closing  her  lecture,  Rebecca  said:  "As  I  closer 
my  eyes  and  look  into  a  wilderness  of  thought,  I  see 


402  AN    IDEAL    REPUBLIC. 

before  me  the  happiest  and  most  intellectual  people  on 
this  broad  earth;  no  cry  of  hunger,  want  or  woe  is 
heard,  but  all  is  peace  and  love;  and  yet  methinks  I 
hear  the  clank  of  iron  chains  upon  the  limbs  of  men, 
and  in  their  iron  cells  I  see  wretched  men  condemned 
to  death.  O  horror  of  horrors!  Will  the  flames  of 
everlasting  hell  be  never  quenched  and  superstition 
never  lose  its  hold  upon  our  minds?  Is  there  no 
power  in  prayer?  Let  us  rise  and  invoke  the  favor 
and  guidance  of  angel  friends,  and  greatest  of  all  Him 
who  rules  through  the  power  of  love  and  justice. " 

At  this  juncture,  while  the  audience,  as  by  an  inspi 
ration,  rose  to  their  feet,  Frank  quietly  left  his  box  and 
in  one  moment  stood  behind  the  scenes,  beyond  the 
view  of  the  audience,  but  within  a  few  feet  of  the  long- 
lost  treasure.  When  the  audience  became  quiet  once 
more,  Rebecca  moved  a  little  forward,  as  if  to  come  in 
better  touch  with  their  feelings,  then  began:  "O  Father 
of  mercy,  Thou  who  rulest  all  things  by  Thy  great 
love  and  wisdom,  in  this,  the  mistake  of  a  million  souls 
give  us  counsel,  give  us  strength,  give  us  of  Thy  great 
wisdom  that  we  may  not  mistake  a  heartless  cruelty  for 
law  and  justice.  Let  us  not  reproduce  those  brutal 
scenes  handed  down  to  us  from  a  barbaric  age,  through 
our  lingering  superstition;  send  to  us,  O  Father,  Thy 
great  angelic  hosts,  that  we  may  of  them  take  counsel 
and  in  thy  presence,  let  us  wash  our  hands  of  the  blood 
of  these  men  and  invoke  the  source  of  power  to  turn 
them  loose,  but  send  them  from  this  land." 

Seating  the  audience,^  she  said:  "This  night,  before 
I  close  my  eyes  in  sleep,  I  will  pray  that  these  poor 
souls  be  sent  back  to  the  land  of  their  birth  and  that 
instead  of  destroying  men,  the  power  of  this  great 
Republic  may  be  used  in  destroying  the  conditions 
which  make  the  production  of  such  men  possible. 
Is  there  one  in  this  great  audience  who  will  say  amen 
to  a  prayer  like  this?" 

Quick  in  response,  from  that  great  audience,  came 
one  stentorian,  "Yes." 

Rebecca  bowed  herself  from  the  audience  and  as  she 
turned  half  round  to  leave  the  stage,  their  eyes  metj 


AN  IDEAL  REPUBLIC.  40$ 

she  recognized  her  Frank  and  as  he  approached  her 
rapidly,  with  one  wild  scream  of  joy,  she  sprang  into 
his  arms.  Full  of  excitement,  General  Summerville 
rushed  to  the  stage  to  congratulate  his  friend.  Mis. 
Goldburg  and  Minnie  fully  realizing  the  situation, 
moved  quickly  forward;  as  Minnie  and  the  General 
met,  the  recognition  was  mutual  and  Minnie  saw  in 
him  the  realization  of  her  early  love;  while  he,  too  full 
for  utterance,  clasped  her  to  his  heart. 

This  was  a  scene  where  it  might  well  have  been  said: 
"The  angels  wept  for  joy. "  Had  there  been  a  Shakes 
peare,  a  Burns,  or  a  Bacon  as  a  witness,  the  world 
would  perhaps  have  been  furnished  with  a  literary 
treat.  But  no  poets  nigh,  the  writer  must  needs  draw 
the  veil  and  leave  these  fond  hearts  to  re-plight  those 
vows  so  often  made  in  youth;  after  so  cruelly  broken; 
and  loved  ones  separated  through  the  power  of  gold, 
now  reunited  where  gold  had  lost  its  power. 

We  will  only  add  that  the  sympathies  of  the  people 
were  brought  to  bear  so  powerfully  upon  the  court  and 
executive,  from  that  time  forward,  that  the  sentence 
was  remitted  and  the  prisoners  with  their  great  box 
of  gold  were  banished  for  life. 


A  Great  Vote  Maker! 

"The  Grandest  Work  that  Ever 
Came  Before  the  People!" 

WHITHER 

ARE  WE 

DRIFTING 


WENDELL  PHILLIPS  said:     "It  is  able,  profound, 

interesting  and  sure  to  have  a  wide  and 

deep  influence.' 

"Whither  Are  We   Drifting,"   is  a  Book  of  over 

"7/\n  Pages.     Price,  postpaid:   Cloth,  $1.00;  Paper, 

f  UU  50  Cents.     Order  from  The  Chicago  Express, 

P.  O.  Box  369.     Published  by  L.    D.    RAYNOLDS,   267 

South  Lincoln   Street,   Chicago,    Illinois. 


HANDBOOK  of  FINANCE, 


BY  O.  B.  FENTON. 


A  work  that  should  be  in  the  hands  of  every  Reformer. 
Nothing  better  for  general  circulation.     Makes 

the  Finance  question  as  plain  as  a  b  c. 

It  Contains  Quotations    from   Leading   Speakers    an<J 

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By  Thomas  E.   Hill. 

In  1890,  Hon.  Thomas  E.  Hill,  the  well  known 
author  of  "Hill's  Manual"  and  other  standard  educa 
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People's  Party. 

In  response  to  many  requests  Mr.  Hill  elaborated 
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lack  of  confidence  in  the  banks. 

"MONEY  FOUND"  explains  how  the  United  States 
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on  a  reasonable  rate  to  borrowers  who  had  adequate 
security,  and  instead  of  the  business  being  an  expense 
to  the  government,  it  would  yield  a  net  revenue  of 
millions  of  dollars. 

The  latest  edition  of  this  work  contains  important 
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several  states;  amount  of  gold,  silver  and  paper  money 
in  the  principal  countries  of  the  world  and  a  review 
of  the  financial  legislation  of  the  United  States. 

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